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HY.    ABARBANEL, 

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NEW  YORK. 

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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Archive 

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HY.    ABAK 
No.  11106  Thib 

NEW   Y( 

Pbick,    -    0^ 


ENGLISH 

SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY 

READER, 

FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES, 


CONTAINING 


SELECTIONS     IN     PROSE     AND    VERSE,     HISTORICAL     ACCOUNTS, 

BIOGRAPHIES,    NARRATIVES,    NOTICES,    AND 

CHARACTERISTICS  ON 

JUDAISM, 

Past,   Present    and   Future, 


BY    H.    ABARBANEL. 


"If  a  regular  gradation  of  sufferings  exists,  then  Israel  has  reached  the  highest  step; 
if  the  duration  of  sorrows,  and  the  patience  with  which  they  are  endured,  ennoble,  then 
the  Jews  may  challenge  the  nobility  of  all  countries  ;  if  a  literature  is  called  rich,  which 
possesses  but  a  few  classical  tragedies,  what  place  then  is  due  to  a  tragedy  which  lasts 
fifteen  centuries  being  composed  and  represented  by  the  heroes  themselves." — Zunz. — 
Synagogal  Poesy  of  the  Middle  Ages. 


NEW  YOEK  : 

EOGEES    &    SHERWOOD, 

21  &  23  Bakclay  Stkeet. 

1883. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1883,  by 

H.     ABARBA.NEL, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PE 


IN   THREE   PARTS 


PART  I. 


Narrative  and  Descriptive. 


PART    II. 

Historical  AiNd  Biographical, 


PART    III. 


Scientific  and  Instructive, 


3015099 


PREFACE. 


It  has  been  my  purpose  in  the  preparation  of  this  work  to  furnish 
the  facilities  necessary  for  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  Jewish 
youth,  who,  in  the  course  of  my  experience,  I  have  observed  with 
regret  lack  much  of  that  religious  education  which,  at  an  early  age, 
should  be  inculcated,  in  order  to  qualify  him  to  become  a  useful 
member  of  the  Jewish  community  in  after  life. 

A  nation  unacquainted  with  her  Past,  has  no  mind  for  her  Present, 
and  no  eye  for  her  Future. 

Mindfid,  then,  that  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  for  the  Israel- 
itish  youth  to  know  what  happened  to  his  ancestors,  during  the  last 
1800  years,  and  what  they  have  accomplished  in  a  spiritual  direc- 
tion, I  have  prepared  the  following  pages  for  that  purpose — a  col- 
lection strictly  graded  from  first  to  last,  and  commencing  with  les- 
sons more  simple  than  those  at  the  close  of  the  book. 

As  for  the  numberless  Headers  made  use  of  in  Public  Schools,  I 
have  no  desire  to  detract  one  iota  either  from  their  merits  or  their 
usefulness,  but  they  are  nevertheless  unfitted  for  the  instruction  of 
Jewish  youth,  on  account  of  the  sectarianism  which  one  meets  with 
in  almost  all  of  them;  and  whilst  other  confessions  are  furnished  in 
a  manifold  manner,  the  scanty  supply  in  this  branch  of  Hebrew 
Literature  has  left  a  vacancy  for  an  English  Keader  adapted  for 
Israelitish  Schools  and  Families. 

Is  it  likely  that  a  Jewish  child  can  reap  any  benefit  from  hearing 
the  New  Testament  read  almost  every  morning  on  entering  the 
school-room  ?  Will  the  Jewish  mind  improve  while  being  trained 
to  sing  hymns  in  praise  of  a  strange  religion?  Does  it  enhance 
Jewish  learning  by  making  use  of  Readers  full  of  sectarianism  ?  Or 
is  it  possible  that  the  Jewish  child  should  know  anything  of  Juda- 
ism, w4ien  aU  the  public  schools,  both  high  and  low,  fail  to  teach  a 
single  word  of  Hebrew,  nor  is  there  even  a  Professorship  for  Orien- 
tal Literature  anywhere  to  be  met  with  ? 

The;  Author   therefore   believes  that   he  renders  the    Israelitish 


PREFACE. 

school  some  service,  by  submitting  from  the  works  and  periodicals 
of  Drs,  Jost,  Zunz,  Graetz,  Philippson,  Geiger,  Fraenkel,  Sachs  and 
others  the  most  important  and  interesting  parts  suitable  for  schools, 
being  so  elaborated  and  arranged,  that  the  teacher  will  be  able,  con- 
sidering the  beautiful  literary  character  of  the  works  they  were 
selected  fi-om,  to  make  the  book  at  once  the  means  of  a  pleasing  and 
instructive  study. 

There  is  a  variety  of  subjects  and  of  stjdes  adapted  to  the  age  and 
progress  of  the  student:  there  is  also  a  coj)iousness  of  information, 
and  an  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  Author  to  inculcate  sound  morals 
and  good  manners:  so  as  to  aid  in  forming  a  literary  taste  for  Hebrew 
lore,  and  to  impress  upon  the  student  the  usefulness  of  the  Hebrew 
language,  which  has  become  of  late  almost  indispensable. 

The  Reader  now  submitted  to  the  public  contains  no  sectarianism, 
and  although  intended  for  Hebrew  institutions,  it  is  nevertheless 
adapted  for  all  classes  and  creeds,  merely  conveying  to  the  reader 
some  interesting  and  useful  information  in  regard  to  Judaism,  and 
will,  no  doubt,  prove  of  great  value  to  the  Christian  studeiit  in  a 
religious,  moral  and  historical  i:)oint  of  view. 

The  principles  of  elocution  I  have  omitted,  inasmuch  as  every 
teacher  is  not  willing  to  use  them;  besides,  they  are  not  a  necessary 
part  of  a  reading  book,  and,  in  case  their  use  should  appear  indis- 
pensable, the  want  can  easily  be  supplied  by  consulting  any  of  the 
public  school  readers,  which  generally  contain  all  the  needful  infor- 
mation. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  work  the  Author  gratefuUy  remembers 
the  kindness  shown  to  him  by  vaiious  gentlemen  and  teachers  from 
whom  he  obtained  permission  to  translate  and  copy  some  of  their 
productions;  and  to  the  Jewish  press,  also,  he  is  much  indebted  for 
the  assistance  he  received  in  being  allowed  to  chronicle  a  large 
amount  of  useful  and  valuable  information. 

Brief  explanatory  notices  have  been  affixed  to  most  of  the  selec- 
tions, and  the  definitions  of  the  most  difficult  words  have  been  given. 
In  fine,  the  Author  persuades  himself,  as  he  has  spared  no  pains  to 
embody  in  his  book  every  excellence  of  a  good  Keader  according 
to  the  object  in  view,  it  will  be  acceptable  to  teachers  and  all  others 
who  take  an  interest  in  forwarding  the  sacred  cause  of  education. 

H.  A. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 
Narrative  and  Descriptive, 

from  page  7  to  87. 

♦Those  marked  with  asterisk  were  written  or  translated  by  the  author,  and 
many  of  the  remaining  pieces  were  so  altered  as  to  be  adapted  lor  the  object  in 
-view. 

Ijessons  (Prose  and  Poetrj) 231  Pieces. 

Pages 431 

♦Preface 2 

PAGE. 

1.  The  value  of  Books ...  7 

2.  Wisdom Book  of  Jot  9 

3.  The  Bible  (L.  J.  A) London  Jewish  Association  10 

*  4.  Devotion  in  Prayer Talmud  12 

5.  On  Prayer Hester  Eothschild  14 

6.  The  Mysteries  of  Providence  (H.  O.) .  .  .Hebrew  Observer  15 

7.  Truth Hebrew  Observer  15 

8.  The  Moral  Dignity  of  Labor Dr.  H.  Baar  17 

9.  Eiches  and  Wisdom 20 

10.  Work ,  .Cassius  M.  Clay  21 

11.  Effects  of  our  Deeds '.  22 

12.  Saving  for  Old  Age 23 

*13    Elijah  at  Mount  Horeb 24 

*14.  The  Value  of  God's  Love Talmud  2(5 

*15.  The  Life  of  Man  Comprised  in  Religion Talmud  26 

*]  6.  The  King  and  the  Laborers Talmud  27 

*17.  The  Tongue Talmud  27 

18.  A  Hebrew  Parable  (S.  F.  P.)  ....  San  Francisco  Progress  28 

19.  Unhappy  Men Eev.  Dr.  H.   W.  Beecher  29 

*20.  Disinterestedness 29 

*21.  Modesty  of  our  Sages „  Talmud  31 

22.  Meditations  on  the  Bib]e)B.  J.  Cb.)  Bait.  Jewish  Chronicle     32 


ii  CONTENTS.  \ 

*23.  Ambition .^ Talmud  35 

*24.  Resignation Talmud  37 

*25.  Our  Promises Talmud ,  38 

*26.  The  Folly  of  Discontent ,. 40 

*2T.  Good  Works Talmud  41 

*28.  Kindness  and  Forgiveness Talmud  42 

*21).  Charity Talmud  42 

30.  Judaism  in  Metaphor Dr.  A.  Jellinek  43 

*3 1 .  Imperishable  Goods 43 

*32.  The  Two  Strangers Dr.  Ludwig  Philip j)son.  45 

33.  The   Bible Heinrich  Heine  47 

*34.  Self-Suppoi-t Talmud  47 

*35.  Pride  and  Humility Talmud  48 

*36.  Justice Talmud  48 

-37.  The  Three  Names Talmud  48 

*38.  The  King  of  Kings   Talmud  49 

■■•39.  Uprightness Talmud  50 

*40.  Filial  Love Talmud  50 

41.  Joyousness Hebrew  Observer  51 

*42.  God's  Love  to  Israel Talmud  51 

*43.  Charity  Eeconciles  Man  with  God Talmud  52 

"M:4.  Israel's  Privilege Talmud  52 

*45.  Twofold  Joy Talmud  53 

46.  The  Beauties  of  Nature 54 

47.  Hope Rev.  Dr.  A.  Huebsch  55 

48.  The  Future  of  the  Jew Dr.  H.  Graetz  55 

59.  Woman's  Friendship Rev.  Dr.  F.  De  Sola  Mendes  56 

50.  Female  Intiuence Rev.  S.  M.  Isaacs  58 

51.  Personal  Religion Daniel  Webster  61 

52.  The  Greatest  Treasure San  Francisco  Progress  61 

53.  Self-made  Men 62 

54.  An  Anecdote  of  Cremieux 63 

55.  The  Progress  of  Humanity    Charles  Sumner  64 

56.  Jewish  Emancipation. (L.  J.  Ch.)  London  Jewish  Chronicle  66 

57.  Jewish  Reserve Rev.  Dr.  G.  Gottheil  67 

58.  Talmudic  Allegory  (J.  R.) Jewish  Record  70 

59.  From  Darkness  unto  Light ...  London  Jewish  Association  71 

60.  Hebrew  Characteristics Dr.  Leopold  Zunz  74 

61.  Thoughts  of  a  AVanderer Cora  Wilburn  75 

62.  The  Hebrew  Language Dr.  Johann  Buxtorf  78 

*63.  Observe  the  Law Moses  Mendelssohn  78 

*64.  A  Biccurim  Procession . Prof.  F,  Delitzsch  79 

65.  Speech  on  "  Judaism  "  (A.  I.)    . .    ...  .Dr.  Edward  Lasker  81 

66.  Rosh  Hashanah Rev.  H.  Jacobs  83 

*67.  Adoration Rev.  Dr.  David  Einhorn  85 


CONTENTS.  iii 

PART  II. 

Historical  and  Biographical. 
From  page  88  to  286. 

*68.  The  Prophet  Jeremiah Dr.  H.  Graetz     88 

*Gi).  Simon  the  Just,  and  his  Times Dr.  H.  Graetz  108 

*70.  The  Maccahean  War  of  Libei-ation Dr.  Ludwig  Stern  115 

71 .  The  Martyr  Mother Grace  Aguilar  1 25 

*72.  The  Rehgious  Sects Dr.  H.  Graetz  135 

*73.  Alexander  Jannai  and  Simon  ben  Shetach .  .  Dr.  H.  Graetz  140 

*74.  Judea  under  Roman  Sway Dr.  H.  Graetz  145 

*75.  Jochanan  Hyrkanos Dr.  H.  Graetz  151 

*76.  The  Children  of  Hyrkan  the  Fortunate 

Dr.  Ludwig  Philii^pson  155 

*77.  The  Jews  in  Alexandria Dr.  J.  M.  Jost  158 

78.  Contrast  between  Jews  and  Samaritans.  .Rev.  Dr.  Jastrow  1C4 

*79,  The  Spread  of  Judaism Dr.  H.  Graetz  166 

*80.  Herod,  King  of  Judea Dr.   J .  M.  Jost  170 

*81.  HiUel  and  Shammai Dr  J.  M.  Jost  175 

*82.  The  Siege  of  Jotapata Dr,  Ludwig  Philippson  178 

*83.  The  Destruction  of  Jerusalem  .  .  • Dr.  H.  Graetz  185 

*84.  The  Fate  of  the  Captives Dr.  Ilonigman  192 

*85.  Rabbi  Jochanan  Ben  Sakkai Dr  L  Philippson  196 

*86.  Rabbi  Akiba  Ben  Joseph  • Dr.  M.  Sachs  199 

*87.  The  Schools  of  Palestine  and  theMishna  .  .  Dr.  J.  M.  Jost  202 
*88.  The  Schools  of  Babylon  and  the  Talmud  .  .  Dr.  J.  M .  Jost  209 

*89.  Saadja  Gaon Rev.  S.  Rapaport  218 

*90.  Rabbi  Mose  and  Rabbi  Nathan  in  Cordova  .  Jud.  Plutarch  220 

91.  Salomo  Gabirol  (R.)  , Rochesteriensis  223 

92.  Rashi  (J.  T.) Jewish  Times  226 

*93.  R  Judah-Ha-Levi Jud.  Ehrentempei  229 

*94.  Aben  Esra Jtid.  Ehrentempei  231 

95.  Maimonides Jewish  Times  232 

*96.   Don  Isaac  Abarbanel Dr.  Ph.  PhiHppson  235 

*97.  Portuguese  Discovery  and  the  Jews  . .  .  Dr.M.  Kayserling  248 

*98.  Antonio  Joseph Dr.  Z.  Frankel  252 

*99.  Manasseh  Ben  Israel , .  .  .  .  Dr.  M.  Kayserling  266 

100.*Moses  Chaim  Luzzato Dr.  Letteris  270 

101.  N.  H.  Wessely  .  .  , Jewish  Messenger  273 

102.*  Lazarus  Benclavid Dr.  M.  Kayserling  274 

103.*Moses  Mendelssohn Jud.   Ehrentempei  281 


iv  CONTENTS. 

PART  III. 

SciENTmC  AND  InSTRUCTIVK. 

From  page  386  to  432. 

104.*Palestiue Dr.  L.  Stern  287 

105.  Egypt Miss  M.  A.  Goldsmid  292 

106.  The  Ten  Commandments Kev.  Maurice  Fluegel  299 

107.  Obduracy J.  L.  Mocatta  316 

108.*Tlie  Sacred  Tongue Joseph  Zedner  321 

109.  The  Study  of  Hebrew Rev.  S.  Morais  325 

110.  The  Hebrew  Language Prof.  Thurlstone  827 

111.  Hebrew  Poetry British  Quarterly  Review  329 

112.*The  Peculiarities  of  Israel Prof.  Baumgarten  331 

1 13.  Judaism  and  its  Relation  to  Mankind  .  .  Rev.  A.  L.  Green  333 

114.  Marvels  of  Israel's  History Bishoj)  Nicholson  335 

115.  The  Work  of  Hebraism From  the  Italian  336 

116.  Science  and  Religion •  Rev.  Dr.  N.  M.  Adler  337 

117.*The  Rejuvenescence  of  the  Hebrew  Race  .  Dr.  H.  Graetz  341 
118.  Perpetuity  and  Immutability  of  the  Mosaic  Law 

Prof.  Rev.  D.  W.  Marks  348 

119.*Art  Among  the  Ancient  Hebrews Dr.  L.  Herzfeld  356 

120.  Moses Rev.  Dr.  Taylor  377 

121.  Moses  as  a  Statesman Hon.  I.  Proctor  Knott  382 

122.  True  Greatness  .  .  .  .  - Dr.  Isaac  M.  Wise  383 

123.  The  Synhedrions Dr.  Rabbinowicz  388 

124.  The  Tabnud Prof.  T.  Theodores  400 

125.  Pearls  fii-om  the  Talmud  .  • Dr.  Emanuel  Deutsch  405 

126.  The  Talmud  Jew  (J.  M.) Dr.  A.  Jellinek  412 

127.  The  Religion  of  Israel Prof.  Arnold  4l5 

128.  Judaism  and  Science Prof,  M.  J.  Schleiden  4l8 

129.  Remarks  on  Judaism ,....,    Dr.  A.  Benisch  421 

130.  Religion  and  Science ,  .  .  Dr  A.  JelHnek  426 

13 1.  Hebrews  and  Greeks Pi  of.  Curtius  431 


POETRY. 

Part  I. 

1.  Use  the  Pen 8 

2.  One  bv  One Miss  Proctor  9 

3.  Be  Firm 11 

4.  He  of  Prayer , Jewish  Times  14 

5.  The  Truth  Seeker 16 

6.  The  Beacon Max  Meyerhardt  20 

Help  Thy  Brother 22 


S.  A  Psalm  of  Life H.  Longfellow     23 


CONTENTS.  V 

1>.  Elijali,  The  Prophet E.  A.  Levy  25 

10.  What  we  should  have 27 

11.  Song  of  Rebecca Walter  Scott  29 

r2.*King  Sanherib  before  Jerusalem Kosarski  31 

13.  Psalm  XXII.  (J.  M.) Jewish  Messenger  34 

14.  The  Son  of  Sorrow H.  Phillips,  jun.  36 

15.  At  Passover Jewish  Times  39 

16.  Nahum  All's  Well Jewish  Times  40 

17.  Charity Emma  Schiff  43 

IS.  Chanukah ....  Eev.  L.  Stern  44 

19.  Nare  Tamid Jewish  Messenger  47 

20.  Hagar Jewish  Messenger  48 

21.  Saul  and  the  Witch  of  En-dor Byron  50 

22.  Cheer  up 52 

23.  There  is  a  God M.  Lehmeyer  54 

24.  The  Better  Land 56 

25    The  Shunamite's  Reply Mrs.  Hemans  57 

26.  Resolution  of  Ruth 60 

27.  Shabuoth Rev.  James  K.  Gutheim  62 

28.  Carviug  a  Name 64 

29.  Life M.  Lehmeyer  67 

30.  Friendship M.  Lehmeyer  70 

31.  Hasty  Words Baltimore  Jewish  Chi-onicle  71 

32.  Light  out  of  Darkness 73 

33.*The  Western  Wall = . . . .  Rev.  H.  Vidaver  75 

34.  The  Exiles'  Lament 77 

35.  Esther Jewish  Messenger  80 

36.  Rosh-Hashanah Deborah  Ivleinert  83 

37.  Hymn  for  Yom-Kippur S.  A.  Dinkins  85 

Part  II. 

38.  Belshazzar. Heinrich  Heine  107 

39.  Israel's  Banner Max  Meyerhardt  114 

40.  Hannah  and  her  Seven  Sons Mrs.  M.  D.  Lonis  123 

41.  The  Rabbi  and  the  Rose 134 

42.  Psalm  XV.. MaxL.  Guttman  140 

43.  The  Mystic  Tie Max  Meyerhardt  144 

44.  Israel.. Max  INIeyerhardt  149 

45.  Faith  and  Trust Baltimore  Jewish  Chronicle  158 

46.  Hymn  to  the  Deity... Rebekah  Hyneman  166 

47.  The  Lord  is  Nigh.'.  Rebekah  Hyneman  169 

48.  Herod's  Lament  for  Mariamne Byron  174 

49.  The  Aim Jacob  G.  Asher  177 

50.  Israel's  Power. Cora  Wilburn  185 

5 1    The  Fall  of  Jerusalem. Jewish  Messenger   19 


i  CONTENTS. 

52.  The  Ninth  of  Av. London  Jewish  Chronicle  194 

53.  The  Rose  of  Jericho Jewish  Messenger  1 99 

54.  Holiness  (A.  I. ). American  Israelite  202 

55.  The  Soul. Deborah  Kleinert  208 

5(>.  The  Sabbath  Lamp London  Jewish  Chronicle  217 

57.  The  Mission  of  Israel .' .' Cora  Wilbum  222 

58.  Meditations  (by  Gabirol) Emma  Lazarus  225 

59.  The  LX VIII  Psalm  American  Israelite  228 

60.  On  the  vo^^age  to  Jerusalem  (by  Judah-ha-Levy). 

.Emma  Lazarus  230 

61.  Songs  of  the  Nations  (J.  M.) Aben  Esra  232 

62.  A  Song  of  Praise  (H.  S.) Hebrew  Standard  234 

63.  The  Song  of  tlie  Well Je^dsh  Messinger  2-12 

64.  Psalm  XXIV American  Israelite  248 

65.  Remember  Me Jewish  Messenger  252 

66.  An  Invocation American  Israelite  267 

67.  The  Voice  of  the  Lord Rosa  Emma  Collins  271 

68.  The  Heavenly  Light.  - Max  Meyerbardt  273 

69.  The  Rabbi's  Blessing.  .  .  , Jewish  Messenger  281 

70.  Elegy  on  the  death  of  Moses  Mendelssohn.  .  .Dr.  Wesseley  285 

Part  III. 

71.  Montefiore Dr.  Abr.  S.  Isaacs  291 

72.  Kibrotth  Hattavah 298 

73.  God  Knoweth  Best American  Israelite  304 

74.  The  Hebrew , American  Israelite  317 

T5.  Jacob's  Pillow Jacob  G.  Asher  321 

76.  Biblical  Poem Rosa  Emma  Collins  326 

77.  What  is  Life , 228 

78.  Longing  for  Jerusalem. Dr.  Honigmau  331 

79.  Recognition Wm.  Cullen  Bryant  333 

80.  Grass  and  Roses • Saadi  335 

81.  David's  Lament  for  Absalom 336 

82.  Hymn  (by  Gabirol) Emma  Lazarus  341 

83.  The  Seventy-second  Psalm American  Israelite  347 

84.  Past,  Present  and  Future Michael  Henry  355 

85.  A  Vision  of  Jerusalem Grace  Aguilar  377 

86.  The  Burial  of  Moses • 380 

87.  The  Song  of  Moses.  . American  Isi*aelite  382 

88.  The  Sun  of  Israel Rebekali  Hvneman  386 

89.  After  R.  Jehudah  Ila-Levi Prof.  Emanuel  Loewenthal  389 

90.  The  Vision  of  Rabbi  lluna JeAvish  Messenger  392 

91.  Gems  from  Charisi  (J.  M.) Dr.  Moritz  Levin  396 

92.  Jephtah's  Daughter 400 


INDEX  TO  AUTHOES.  vii 

93.  Jadah-ha.Levi  to  his  friend  Isaac  (E.  L.) Dr.  Geiger  405 

94.  Jael Overland  Monthly  418 

95.  There  is  no  Death Bulwer  Lytton  416 

96.  The  Twenty-Ninth  Fsalm Jewish  Messenger  418 

97.  The  Hebrew  Maid  and  Syrian  Chief  .  .  .Jewish  Messenger  421 

98.  Sabbath  Thoughts ,  , .  ' Grace  Aquilar  427 

99.  By  the  Old  Spring R.  A.  Levi  432 

100.  After  Sanhedrin(a9A) Talmud  434 


Contains  Also  a 
BIBLICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  MEMORIAL  TABLE, 

together  with  a 
CHRONOLOGY. 

From  the  creation  unto  the  present  time. 


INDEX  TO  AUTHORS. 


Adier,  Rev.  Dr.  Nathan  Marcus, 

340. 
Agtiilar,  Grace,  134,  377,  427. 
Arnold,  Prof.,  415. 
Ascher,  Jacob  G.,  178,  321. 
Association,  London  Jewish,  10. 

II,  73. 
Baar,  Dr.  H.,  17- 
Baumgarten,  Prof.,  331. 
Beecher,  Rev.  H.  W.,  29. 
Benisch,  Dr.  A.,  421. 
Bryant,  Wm.  Cullen,  333. 
Buxtorf,  Dr.  J.,  78. 
Byron,  Lord,  50,  175. 
Clay,  Cassius  M.,  21. 
Collins,  Rosa  Emma,  271,  326. 
Chronicle,  Baltimore  Jewish.  32, 

71,  158. 
Chronicle,    London    Jewish,    66, 

194,  217. 
Curtius,  Prof.,  431. 
Delitzsch,  Prof.  F.,  80. 


Deutsch,  Dr.  Emanuel,  405. 
Dinkiiis,  S.  A.,  85. 
Einhorn,  Dr.  David,  87. 
Ehrentempel,  Jud.,  230,  232,  285. 
Frankel,  Dr.  Z.,  252. 
Fluegel,  Rev.  Maurice,  3U4. 
Goldsmid,  Miss  M.  A.,  298. 
Gottheil,  Dr.  G.,  69. 
Graetz,  Dr.  H.,  56,  88,   140,  144, 

149,  155,  169,  191,  317. 
Green,  Rev.  A.  L.,  333. 
Gutheim,  Rev.  James  K.,  62. 
Gutman,  Max  L.,  140. 
Hemans,  Mrs.,  58. 
Heine,  Heini'ich,  47,  108,  114. 
Henry,  Michael,  355. 
Herzfeldt,  Dr.  L.,  376. 
Honigman,  Dr.,  194,  331. 
Huebsch,  Dr.  A.,  55. 
Hyneman,  Rebekah,  166, 169, 386. 
Isaacs,  Dr.  Abr.  S.,  292. 
Isaacs,  Rev.  Samuel  M.,  60. 


INDEX  TO  AUTHORS. 


Israelite,  American,  82,  202,  228, 

248,  267,  305,  317,  348,  383. 
Italian,  from  the,  336. 
Jacobs,  Rev.  H.,  85. 
Jastrow,  Dr.,  165. 
Jellinek,  Dr.  A.,  43,  412,  426. 
Job,  Book  of,  9. 
Jost,  Dr.  I.  Marcus,  164,  175  177, 

208,  209. 
Kayserling-,  Dr.  M.,  248,  266, 280. 
Kleinert,  Deborah,  83,  209. 
Knott,  Hon.  I.  Proctor,  382. 
Kosarski,  31. 
Lazarus,  Emma,  226,    230,  341, 

406. 
Lehmeyer,  M.,  54,  67,  70. 
Letteris,  Dr.,  270. 
Levin,  Dr.  .Aloritz,  396. 
Levy,  R.  A.,  25,  432. 
Loewenthal,  Prof.  Emanuel,  389. 
LongfelloAv,  H.,  25. 
Lonis,  Mrs.  M.  D.,  125. 
Lytton,  Buhver,  416. 
Marks,  Rev.  Prof.  D.,  355. 
Mencles,  Dr.  F.  De  Sola,  57. 
Mendelssohn,  Moses,  79. 
Messeno-er,  Jewish,  34,  47,  48,  80, 

191,  199,  232,  242,  252,  273, 

281,  392,  418,  421. 
Meyerhardt,  Max,  20,  115,   144, 

150,  294. 
Mocatta,  J.  L.,  316. 
Morais,  Rev.  S.,  325. 
Nicholson,  Bishop,  335. 
Observer,  Hebrew,  15,  16,  51. 
Overland  Monthly,  412. 


Phillips,  H.,  jr.,  36. 
Philippson,  Dr.  Phoebe,  241. 
Phillipson,  Dr.    L.  45,   157,    184: 

198. 
Proctor,  9. 

Progress,  San  Francisco,  28,  62. 
Plutarch,  Jiid.,  220. 
Rabbinowicz,  Dr ,  388. 
RajDaport,  Sol.,  218. 
Record,  Jewish,  7l. 
Review.  British  Quarterly,  327. 
Rochesteriensis,  225. 
Rothschild,  Hester,  14. 
Saadi,  335 . 

Sachs,  Dr.  Michael,   202 
Schiff,  Emma,  43 . 
Schleiden,  Prof.  M.  J.,  418. 
Scott,  Walter,  29. 
Standard,  Hebrew^,  235. 
Stern,  Dr.  Ludwig,  l23,  291. 
Stern,  Rev.  L.,  44,  291. 
Sumner,  Charles,  66, 
Talmud,  12,    14,   26,  27,   31,  35, 

37,  41,  42,  48,  49,  50,  51,  52. 
Taylor,  Rev.  Dr.,  380. 
Theodores,  Prof.  T.,  400. 
Times,  Jewish,  14, 39,  41, 226,  234. 
Thurlston,  Prof.,  327. 
Vidaver,  Rev.  H  ,  75. 
Webster.  Daniel,  61. 
Wessely,' Dr.  N.  H.,  286. 
Wilburn,  Cora,  77, 185,  223. 
Wise,  Dr.  Isaac  M.,  386. 
Zedner,  Joseph,  321. 
Zunz,  Dr.  L..  75. 


PART  FIRST. 

NSRRKTIVE  AND  DESCRIPTIVE! 


"  'Tis  education  forms  the  common  mind; 
Just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tiee's  inclined." 

QUINTILIAN. 


THE  VALUE  OF  BOOKS. 

There  are  so  many  wise  and  good  things  written  in  books  that 
every  one  should  easily  endeavor  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  reading. 
There  are  many  thousands  of  books,  and  all  that  is  written  in  them 
is  either  about  the  world  which  God  has  made,  or  about  the 
thoughts  and  sayings  of  His  creatures  on  whom  He  has  bestowed 
the  power  to  think  and  to  speak. 

Some  books  describe  the  earth  itself,  with  its  land  and  water;  or 
the  air  aud  clouds;  or  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stai's,  which  shine 
so  beautifully  in  the  sky.  Some  tell  us  about  the  things  that  grow 
out  of  the  ground — the  many  millions  of  plants,  from  little  mosses 
and  slender  blades  of  grass,  wp  to  great  trees  and  forests.  Some 
also  contain  accounts  of  living  things,  such  as  woi-ms,  flies,  fishes, 
birds  and  four-footed  beasts;  and  some,  which  are  the  most  numer- 
ous, are  about  men  and  their  doings. 

These  books  about  men  are  the  most  imx^ortant  to  us,  for  men  are 
the  most  wonderful  of  Grod's  creatures  in  this  world,  since  they  alone 
are  able  to  know  and  to  love  Him,  and  to  try  of  their  own  accord 
to  do  His  will.  Besides,  we  ourselves  are  human  beings,  and  may 
learn  from  such  books  what  we  ought  to  think,  and  do,  aud  try  to 
be.  Some  of  them  describe  what  sort  of  people  have  lived  in  olden 
times,  and  in  other  couutries.  By  reading  these  we  know  what  is 
the  difference  between  our  own  nation  and  the  famous  nations  which 
lived  and  flourished  in  the  early  periods  of  the  Avorld's  history.  Such 
were  the  Egyptians,  who  built  the  Pyramids — the  most  stu]:)endous 
buildings  of  stone  ever  constructed  by  men;  and  the  Babylonians, 
who  had  a  city  of  huge  walls,  built  of  bricks,  and  furnished  with  a 
hundred  brazen  gates. 

They  tell  us  also  of  the  Jews,  to  whom  the  commands  of  God  were 
given;  of  the  Greeks,  who  knew  best  how  to  make  fine  statues  and 
buildings,  and  to  write  books;    of  the  old  Romans,  that  wonderful 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


people  who  lived  in  the  ancient  city  of  Rome,  how  skillful  they  were 
in  war,  and  how  they  could  govern  the  nations  they  subdued. 

It  is  from  books,  also,  that  we  may  learn  what  kind  of  men  lived 
in  our  own  country  before  it  was  peopled  with  emigrants  from 
Europe,  or  even  with  wild  Indians  whom  they  found  here  ;  of  the 
Aztecs,  who  lived  in  Mexico  and  Peru,  and  their  curious  customs 
and  wonderful  civilization  ;  and  something  also  of  the  singular 
mounds  in  various  parts  of  our  country,  built  by  a  people  the  memory 
of  whom  has  passed  away. 

We  may  also  learn  what  kind  of  men  lived  in  olden  times  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia,  and  how  they  passed  to  the  south 
and  west,  overturning  civilized  nations  in  their  course,  and  founding 
the  present  nations  of  Europe  ;  how  some  of  these  people  came  to 
live  in  England,  and  planted  there  a  mighty  kingdom  lasting  to  our 
own  time,  and  spreading  its  power  and  influence  through  every  part 
of  the  world. 

And  we  shall  see,  too,  how  religion  has  spread  to  nearly  every 
part  of  the  earth,  to  make  the  people  wiser  and  more  peaceful,  and 
more  noble  in  their  minds.  Besides  learning  all  these  things,  we 
should  try  to  learn  from  books  what  are  the  best  and  wisest  thoughts, 
and  the  most  beautiful  words,  and  how  men  are  able  to  lead  right 
lives,  and  to  do  a  great  deal  to  make  the  world  better.  If  we  try  to 
be  better  for  all  we  read,  as  well  as  wiser,  we  shall  find  books  a  great 
help  toward  goodness  as  well  as  knowledge- 
Adapted. 

Pyramid.— Plain     triangles;    their    several  I  nia,  a  country  in  Western  Asia,  now  a  part  of 
points  meeting  in  one.  Asiatic   Turkey.    It  was  situated  on  the  Eu- 

The  Babylonians — Inhabitants  of  Babylo-  I  phrates  River. 


USE  THE  PEN. 


Use  the  pen!  there  is  magic  in  it, 

Never  let  it  lag  behind; 
Write  thy  thought — the  pen  can  win  it 

From  the  chaos  of  the  mind. 
Many  a  gem  is  lost  forever 

By  the  careless  passer  by, 
But  the  gems  of  thought  should  never 

On  the  mental  pathway  lie. 

Use  the  pen!  reek  not  that  others 

Take  a  higher  flight  than  thine; 
Many  an  ocean  cave  still  smothers 

Pearls  of  price  beneath  the  brine; 
But  the  diver  finds  the  treasure. 

And  the  gem  to  light  is  brought; 
Thus  thy  mind's  unbounded  measure 

May  give  up  some  pearl  of  thought. 


Chaos — Confusion. 

Beine  -Water  impregnated  with  salt — the  sea. 


Use  the  pen!  the  day's  departed 

When  the  sword  alone  held  sway, 
Wielded  by  the  lion-hearted, 

Strong  in  battle,  where  are  they? 
All  unknown  the  deeds  of  glory 

Done  of  old  by  mighty  men. 
Save  the  few  who  live  in  story. 

Chronicled  by  sage's  pen. 

Use  the  pen!  but  let  it  never 

Slander  write  with  dead-black  ink 
Let  it  be  thy  best  endeavor 

But  to  pen  what  good  men  think. 
Thus  thy  words  and  thoughts  securing 

Honest  praise  from  wisdom's  tongue. 
May  in  time  be  as  enduring 

As  the  strains  which  David  sung. 
Adapted. 
Sage — Wise,  grave,  prudent." 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  I&TIAELITES.  9 

WISDOM. 

Surely  there  is  a  vein  for  the  silver,  and  a  place  for  gold  where 
they  line  it.  Iron  is  taken  out  of  the  earth,  and  brass  is  molten  out 
of  the  stone.  He  setteth  an  end  to  darkness,  and  searcheth  out  all 
perfection;  the  stones  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  The 
flood  breaketh  out  from  the  inhabitant;  eren  the  uaters  forgotten  of 
the  foot;  they  are  dried  up,  they  are  gone  away  from  men.  As  for 
the  earth,  out  of  it  cometli  bread:  and  under  it  is  turned  ujd  as  it 
were  fire.  The  stones  of  it  are  the  place  of  sapphires;  and  it  hath 
dust  of  gold.  There  is  a  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth,  and  which 
the  vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen.  The  lion's  whelps  have  not  trodden 
it,  nor  the  fierce  lion  passed  by  it.  He  putteth  forth  his  hand  upon 
the  rock,  he  overturneth  the  mountains  by  the  roots.  He  cutteth 
our  rivers  among  the  rocks;  and  his  eye  seeth  every  precious  thing. 
He  biwdeth  the  floods  from  overflowing;  and  the  thing  that  is  hid 
bringeth  he  forth  to  light.  Bvit  where  shall  wisdom  be  found,  and 
where  is  the  place  of  understanding?  Man  knoweth  not  the  price 
thereof;  neither  is  it  found  in  the  land  of  the  living.  The  depth 
saith:  It  is  not  in  me;  and  the  sea  saith:  It  is  not  with  me.  It 
cannot  be  gotten  for  gold,  neither  shaU  silver  be  weighed  for  the 
price  thereof.  It  cannot  be  valued  with  the  gold  of  Ophir,  with  the 
precious  onyx,  or  the  sapphire.  The  gold  and  the  crystal  cannot 
equal  it;  and  the  exchange  of  it  shaU  not  be  for  jewels  of  fine  gold.. 
No  mention  shall  be  made  of  coral  or  of  j^earls;  for  the  jDrice  of 
Wisdom  is  above  rubies.  The  topaz  of  EthiojDia  shall  not  equal  it, 
neither  shall  it  be  valued  with  pure  gold.  Whence,  then,  cometh 
Wisdom,  and  where  is  the  place  of  understanding?  Seeing  it  is  hid 
from  the  eyes  of  all  living,  and  kejat  close  from  the  fowls  of  the  air. 
Destruction  and  Death  say:  We  have  heard  the  fame  thereof  with 
our  ears.  God  understandeth  the  way  thereof,  and  he  knoweth  the 
place  thereof.  For  He  looketh  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  seeth 
under  the  whole  heaven.  To  make  the  weight  for  the  winds,  and 
He  weigheth  the  waters  by  measure.  When  He  made  a  decree  for 
the  rain,  and  a  way  for  the  lightning  of  the  thunder.  Then  did  He 
see  it,  and  declare  it.  He  prepared  it,  yea,  and  searched  it  out,  and 
unto  man  He  said:  Behold  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  Wisdom; 
and  to  depart  from  evil,  that  is  understanding. — Job  xxviii. 


Onyx — Is  a  half-clear  gem,  of  which  there  I      Ruby — A  precious  stone,  of  a  red  color,  next 
are  several  species  in  hardness  to  the  diamond. 

Sapphire— A  precious  stone  of  a  blue  color.  |      Topaz — A  yellow  gem. 


ONE  BY  ONE. 


One  by  one  the  sands  are  flowing — 
One  by  one  the  moments  fall; 

Some'  are  coming,  some  are  going; 
Do  not  strive  to  catch  them  all. 


One  by  one  thy  duties  wait  thee; 

Let  thy  whole  strength  go  to  each; 
Let  no  future  dreams  elate  thee: 

Learn  thou  first  what  these  can  teach. 


10  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

One  by  one  (bright  gifts  from  heaven)     I  God  will  help  thee  for  to-morrow, 

Joys  are  sent  thee  here  below;  Every  day  begin  again. 

Take  them  readily  when  given —  •  \ 

Ready,  too,  to  let  them  go.  [  Every  hour  that  fleets  so  slowly, 

Has  its  task  to  do  or  bear; 
One  by  one  thy  griefs  shall  meet  thee;    i  Luminous  the  crown  and  holy 

Do  not  fear  an  arm'd  band;  ,      If  thou  set  each  gem  with  care. 

One  will  fade  as  others  greet  thee — 

Shadows  passing  through  the  land,     i  Hours  are  golden  links — God's  token- 

1      Reaching  heaven;  but,  one  by  one. 
Do  not  look  at  life's  long  sorrow —  ,  Take  them  lest  the  chain  be  broken 

See  how  small  each  moment's  pain;     ;      Ere  thy  pilgrimage  be  done. 

Miss  Proctor. 


Luminous — Shining.  |  Pilgrimage— A  long  journey. 


THE  BIBLE. 

A  Book  wbicli  has  been  handed  down  to  us  from  ancieut  times, 
hallowed  by  the  veneration  of  ages,  as  the  rei:)ository  of  God's 
revelation;  a  book  which  contains  the  truths  most  interesting  to 
man,  which  lays  down  the  code  of  his  duties,  and  rules  for  his 
conduct  through  life;  which  defines  those  jDrinciples  on  which 
human  happiness  depends,  and  without  which  civil  society  would 
be  impossible;  such  a  book  must  necessarily  form,  at  all  times,  a 
subject  of  anxious  study  and  earnest  investigation. 

That  book  is  the  Bible ;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that,  in  a  long 
course  of  centuiies,  it  has  given  rise  to  thousands  of  commentaries 
and  disquisitions,  and  that  the  human  mind  should  still  continue  to 
exercise  its  ingenuity  in  attempts  to  ascertain  the  meaning  and 
intention  of  every  part  of  its  contents.  We,  to  whom  the  Bible 
was  addressed  and  intrusted,  and  who  have  had  to  adaj)t  our  life  to 
its  j)rescriptions,  have  naturally,  more  than  any  other  peoj^le, 
applied  ourselves  to  study,  understand  and  elucidate  the  sacred 
volume.  For  its  language  was  our  own  language,  its  history  was 
bound  up  with  otir  history,  its  spirit  and  life  with  our  national 
sj)irit  and  life. 

From  the  time  when  Moses  enjoined  on  every  Israelite  the  duty 
of  making  himself  conversant  with  the  law,  and  of  teaching  it  to 
his  children  (Deut.  xi:  7,  vi.  19),  and  commanded  that  even  every  king 
should  make  for  himself  a  copy  of  it,  and  should  constantly  consult 
it  (xvii:  18),  down  to  the  later  epochs  of  our  national  history, 
when  thousands  of  scholars  were  flocking  to  the  academies  in  sjDite 
of  the  prohibitions  and  obstacles  set  up  by  the  Romans,  its  study 
has  always  been  considered  and  accej)ted  by  the  Israelite  as  a  duty. 
After  the  dispersion,  the  Jew  attached  himself  more  passionately 
than  ever  to  this  sacred  Book;  it  became  his  only  solace  amid 
adversities  and  persecutions,  and  his  rallying*  point  amid  the  dis- 
solving influences  by  which  he  was  surrounded;  and  when,  in  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


11 


middle  ages,  the  darkness  of  ignorance  covered  Kurope,  the   Book 
was  the  bright  star  which  enlightened  its  mental  faculties. 

These  circumstances,  aiaed  by  uninterrupted  traditional  informa- 
tion, Avhich  may  be  traced  back  to  the  earliest  times,  led  to  Israel's 
j)ossession  of  the  most  intimate  knoAvledge  of  the  Bible  that  can  pos- 
sibly exist  among  ordinary  men.  Where  interjDretation  was  needed, 
that  interpretation  was  settled  by  authority,  learning  and  argument 
usually  combined;  and,  consequently,  to  the  enlightened  Jews,  few 
difficvilties  occur  in  the  proper  understanding  of  both  the  letter  and 
spirit  of  the  sacred  Book 

Thus  it  haj^pens  that  the  Jewish  mind  and  conscience  are  entirely 
satisfied  Avith  the  Bible,  and  that  all  attempts  that  have  been  made 
for  ages  to  detach  us  from  it  have  proved  unavailing.  When  pro- 
fessors of  other  creeds — having  but  a  suj)erficial  acquaintance  with 
the  language  of  the  Bible  and  its  idiom,  and  without  the  advantage 
of  the  traditional  lore  and  the  local  and  historical  knowledge  accumu- 
lated by  our  forefathers — when  such  men,  who  read  the  Bible  through 
the  medium  of  their  preconceived  notions,  and  whose  only  interest 
in  it  is  dictated  by  the  necessity  of  finding  therein  some  pegs  on 
which  to  hang  new-fangled  doctrines,  foreign  and  abhorrent  to  it — 
when  such  men  gravely  tell  us  that  we  do  not  understand  our  Bible, 
and  they  alone  have  the  key  to  its  true  msaning,  they  succeed  only 
in  raising  a  smile  of  pity  on  our  lips.  When,  in  times  gone  by,  men 
of  the  same  class  sought  to  enforce  their  proj^ositions  with  the  sword, 
the  fagot  and  the  rack,  our  forefathers  wavered  not,  but  they  readily 
laid  down  their  lives  and  all  that  was  dearest  to  them,  rather  than 
vield  up  their  faith  in  the  One  God,  and  in  their  Bible. 

L.  J.  A. 


CoMMENTAKx — To  Write  notes   or  remarks 
upon. 

DiSQUi.siriON.s — Examinations,  inquiry. 
Elucidate— To  explain. 
Lore — Lsssou,  instruction,  doctrine. 
To  Enjoin — To  order. 


Inteepeetation— Explaining. 
Superficial — Slight  knowledge. 
Preconceived— To  be    of   opinion   before- 
hand. 
New-fangled — A  foolish  form  of  novelty. 
Kack — An  engine  of  torture. 


BE  FIRM. 


Be  Firm  !  whatever  tempts  thy  soul 
To  loiter  ere  it  reach  its  goal. 
Whatever  siren  voice  would  draw 
Thy  heart  from  duty  and  its  law; 
Oh,  that  distrust  !  go  bravely  on. 
And  til!  the  victor  crown  be  won. 
Be  Firm  ! 


Firm  when  thy  conscience  is  assailed, 
Firm  when  the  star  of  hope  is  veiled. 
Firm  in  defying  wrong  and  sin, 
Firm  in  life's  conflict,  toil  and  din, 
Firm  in  the  path  by  martyrs  trod  — 
And,  oh,  in  love  to  man  and  Grod 
Be  Firm  ! 

Adapted. 


Siren — Bewitching,  enticins 


Martyr — One  who  by  his  death  bear.s  wit- 
ness to  the  truth. 


12  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

DEVOTION  IN  PRAYER. 

A  PIOUS  man  was  engaged  in  prayer  whilst  traveling  on  the  high- 
road One  of  the  nobles  of  the  land,  who  knew  him,  was  passing  by 
and  saluted  him,  but  the  pious  man  did  not  mind  the  salutation  and 
continued  his  jjrayer.  The  nobleman  became  vexed,  and  Avith  a 
great  effort  he  waited  till  the  man  had  finished  his  prayers;  where- 
upon he,  in  an  excited  manner,  said  to  him :  "  Thou  art  a  stupid  fellow, 
for  thou  hast  sinned  against  thine  own  law,  which  commands  man  to 
take  care  of  his  life.  But  thou  hast  just  risked  thy  life  unnecessarily. 
"NVhy  did  you  not  respond  to  my  salutation  ?  If  1  had  split  your 
head  open  with  my  sword,  who  could  have  called  me  to  account  ?" 

"Sir!  I  pray,  suppress  joux  wrath;  I  hope  to  quiet  you,  if  you 
will  allow  me  only  a  few  words  in  reply.  Think,  for  instance,  that 
while  you  were  standing  in  conversation  with  your  king,  a  friend  in 
passing  by  saluted  you.  Should  you  like  to  be  interrupted  in  your 
conversation  with  the  king  in  order  to  answer  that  salutation '?" 

"Woe  unto  me  if  I  were  to  do  so." 

"  Now,  I  pray,  dear  sir !  consider  only  the  respect  you  thus  pay  to 
man !  a  mortal  man,  who  is  here  to-day  and  to-morrow  in  the  grave ; 
whilst  myself,  who  stood  facing  the  King  of  kings,  the  immortal  King, 
what  should  I  have  done  ?" 

The  nobleman  assuaged  his  wrath,  and  the  pious  man  continued 
his  journey  in  peace. 

Talmud  (see  Part  Third  of  the  Reader.) 

To  AssuAGH— To  pacify. 


ON  PRAYER. 

Prayer  is  the  soaring  of  the  soul  toward  God,  an  appeal  to  His 
mercy,  in  homage  to  his  gi-eatness;  how  seriously  it  behooves  us  to 
perform  this  duty  in  a  proj^er  manner !  In  this  life,  while  man  is 
assailed  by  so  much  suffering,  so  many  anxieties,  and  endures  so 
much  misery  and  sorrow,  whence  can  he  seek  aid  and  consolation  ? 
Can  his  fellow-man,  his  companion  in  weakness  and  impotence,  be 
his  comforter?  As  a  child  in  his  grief  appeals  instinctively  to  his 
parents,  so  man  in  his  distress  appeals  to  his  heavenly  Father,  who 
alone  can  aid  him.  Anxieties  and  misery  attack  us  in  vain,  when  we 
resist  them  by  seeking  consolation  from  Him  who  knows  our  sorrow. 
"Toward  the  mountains  I  raise  my  eyes,"  says  the  Psalmist;  "thence 
will  come  my  aid." 

"What  cannot  fervent  prayer  obtain?  When  the  sentence  of  con- 
demnation is  borne  to  the  heavenly  tribunal,  let  us  pray,  and  God 
may  revoke  it.  Moses,  prostrate  at  the  summit  of  Sinai,  stayed  by 
prayer  the  arm  of  the  Eternal  already  raised  to  exterminate  guilty, 
idolatrous  Israel !  We  will  not  fear,  then,  loaded  though  we  be 
with  sin,  we  will  not  fear  to  offer  our  x*epentance  to  the  Lord;  we 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  13 

will  pray  for  ourselves  aud  others,  and  hope,  though  we  fear;  for  a 
day  or  a  night  not  begun  or  ended  with  prayer  might  be  a  fatal  one 
to  us  or  to  one  dear  to  us — the  last  day  or  the  last  night.  Prayer 
would  indeed  be  imperfect,  did  it  lead  us  toward  God  only  when 
in  trouble  or  in  fear,  or  had  it  no  other  motive  than  that  our  wants 
shou^ld  be  supplied.  Besides  supplication,  is  it  not  just  and  proj^er 
that  we  should  offer  our  thanks  and  gratitude  to  our  merciful  Father 
for  the  daily  blessings  He  bestows  and  the  miracles  He  renews  for 
our  preservation,  our  sustenance  and  our  existence? 

But  prayer  does  more  than  this.  When  the  mind  is  imbued  with 
the  idea  of  God,  we  contemplate  His  greatness  and  Avonders,  and 
then  a  sentiment  is  awakened  within  us  of  veneration  and  delight 
at  His  glory,  His  omnijDotence,  His  wondrous  works;  this  divine 
joy,  this  soaring  of  the  soul,  find  vent  in  words  of  blessing  and 
praise,  as  expressed  in  the  divine  harmony  of  the  Psalms:  "How 
wondrous  are  Thy  works,  O  Lord !  How  profound  are  Thy 
thoughts !" 

But  how  should  we  pray  ? 

To  move  the  lips  mechanically,  without  feeling  prayer  in  the 
heart,  is  an  offence  to  God.  To  pray  mentally  without  a  devout 
attitude,  is  to  fail  in  respect  toward  the  Great  Being  with  Avhom 
we  desire  to  hold  communion. 

Above  all,  we  should  take  heed  lest  jjrayer  become  an  act  of 
routine,  a  duty  fulfilled  hastily,  amid  noise,  irreverence,  and  disturb- 
ance; we  should  attune  our  hearts  to  devotion;  retire  to  some 
silent  spot,  assume  an  humble,  a  contemjjlative  posture,  and  resign 
our  souls  to  God;  then  only  can  we  hope  to  be  in  communion  with 
Him. 

But  to  present  ourselves  humbly  before  God  is  not  all;  we  must 
bring  faith — faith  that  gives  life  to  prayer  and  warms  the  heart; 
and,  above  all,  prayer  must  proceed  from  purity  of  intention,  the 
desire  to  do  that  which  is  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  also 
from  filial  submission  to  His  will. 

Oh !  that  our  minds  could  be  fully  impressed  with  the  glory  of 
God,  or  that  we  could  duly  reflect  on  His  holiness !  Faith  teaches 
us  that  our  God,  of  whose  majesty  even  Moses  could  not  bear  the 
glorious  presence,  is  near  us  when  we  pray.  He  sees  and  hears  us; 
He  knows  every  thought  of  the  soul,  every  secret  of  the  heart.  Yes, 
He,  the  holy  God,  is  near;  and  should  we,  who  bow  with  respect 
and  humility  before  a  mortal  somewhat  above  us  in  rank  and  power, 
not  watch  over  our  words  and  deeds  in  the  presence  of  the  King  of 
kings,  before  whom  terrestrial  monarchs  are  as  a  grain  of  dust? 
How  dare  we,  in  His  presence,  give  ourselves  up  to  levity  of  any 
kind?  Let  us,  then,  strictly  observe  the  duty  of  prayer,  for  it  is 
the  life  of  the  soul;  early  in  the  morning  let  us  appear  before  the 
Lord,  offer  Him  the  first  fruits  of  the  day ;  the  purity  of  our  actions 


14 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


may  depend  on  the  fidelity  with  which  we  fulfill  this  first  duty. 
But,  before  praying,  let  us  examine  ourselves,  remember  what  we 
are,  and  reflect  on  the  natvire  of  God  before  whom  we  appear;  then 
will  our  hearts  be  filled  with  sentiments  of  humility,  respect  and 
devotion,  and  thus  we  shall  become  worthy  of  addressing  the 
Creator  of  the  Universe.  A  day  should  not  pass  without  returning 
thanks  for  the  favors  God  has  granted;  before  retiring  to  rest  we 
should  recall  to  mind  every  event  of  the  day ,  and  repent  of  any  un- 
worthy act  we  may  have  committed;  and  thus  reconciled  to  God, 
we  may  be  able  to  invoke  His  protection,  for  ourselvfes  and  others, 
from  the  dangers  of  the  night.  Not  alone  during  the  stated  times 
of  .jjrayer,  but  in  every  circumstance  of  life — in  joy  as  in  sorrow — 
should  we  have  God  in  our  hearts  and  in  our  thoughts. 

Yes,  Lord !  it  is  to  Thee  I  turn  to  pour  out  my  grief  and 
anguish;  it  is  to  Thee  I  render  homage  for  the  hapj^y  days  it  pleases 
Thee  to  bestow.  If  affliction  assail  me,  oh !  teach  me  to  bear  it 
according  to  Thy  will;  if  joy  be  my  portion,  I  will  say,  it  is  (jod 
who  giveth  it.  Hester  Rothschild. 

Hester  Eothpchild — A  lady  of  the  Hebrew  persuasion  residing  in  England,   of   great 
literary  attainments,  and  authoress  of  several  works  on  religious  and  instructive  topics. 
To  SoAH — To  mount  intellectually.                    I      Impotence — Want  of  power. 
To  Imbue — To  pour  into  the  mind.                   |      Routine — Regialar  habit. 
Terrestrial — Earthly.  

HE  OF  PRAYER. 


Hidden  in  the  ancient  Tahnudj 

Slumbereth  this  legend  old, 
By  ihe  stately  Jewish  Rabbis 

To  the  listening  people  told: 
Jacob's  ladder  still  is  standing. 

And  the  angels  o'er  it  go, 
Up  and  down  from  earth  to  heaven , 

Ever  passing  to  and  fro; 
Messengers  from  great  Jehovah, 

Bringing  mortals,  good  or  ill. 
Just  as  we  from  laws  unchanging, 

Good  or  evil  shall  distill. 
He  of  Death,  with  brow  majestic, 

Cometh  wreathed  with  asphodel; 
He  of  Life,  with  smile  seraphic, 

Softly  saying,  "  All  is  well." 
He  of  Pain,  with  purple  pinions, 

He  of  Joy,  all  shining  bright; 
He  of  Hope,  with  wings  cerulean; 

He  of  innocence,  all  white. 
And  the  rustling  of  their  pinions, 

With  the  falling  of  their  feet, 
Turneth  into  notes  of  music, 

Grand  and  solemn,  soft  and  sweet. 


Asphodel — Day  lily. 
Cerulean — Blue,  sliy-colcred. 


One — and  only  one — stands  ever 

On  the  ladder's  topmost  round. 
Just  outside  the  gate  celestial, 

List'ning  as  to  catch  some  sound; 
But  it  is  not  angel  music 

Unto  which  he  bends  his  ear. 
'Tis  the  passing  prayer  of  mortals 

That  he  patient  waits  to  hear. 
By  him  messengers  are  flitting. 

But  He  ever  standeth  there. 
For  He  is  the  Great  Sandalphon 
I      Who  is  gathering  every  prayer. 
In  his  hands  they  turn  to  garlands, 

From  whose  flowers  a  f raeranco  floats 
Through  the  open  gales  celestial, 

Mingled  with  the  angels'  notes. 
For  outside  the  golden  portal 

Of  that  city  of  the  skies 
All  the  earthly  dross  and  passion 
'      Of  the  prayer  of  mortal  dies. 
'Tis  the  heavenly  essence  only 

That  can  find  an  entrance  there, 
Turned  into  the  scent  of  flowers 

Bv  Sandalphon — Him  of  Praver. 

J.  T. 
Seraphic  -  Angelic. 
Celestial — Heavenly. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  ■  15 

THE  MYSTERIES  OF  PROVIDENCE. 

The  appointed  path  is  often  a  dark  path,  and  the  way  in  which 
the  Lord  leads  us  enshrouded  in  shade  and  mystery.  What  then  ? 
We  are  to  march  boklly  on  in  the  course  of  duty,  and  trust  the  Lord 
to  care  for  consequences,  and  bring  all  things  right  at  last.  And 
we  are  under  no  obligation  to  understand  the  drift  and  bearing  of 
things  that  surround  us.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  all  things  are 
working  together  for  our  good.  Even  Abraham  "went  out,  not 
knowing  whither  he  went,"  3'et  guided  by  the  counsel  of  his  God. 
We  cannot  tell  why  our  present  lot  is  so  portioned  out  to  us,  nor 
what  God  means  by  all  the  providences  which  He  appoints.  It 
belongs  not  to  us  to  know  the  hidden  jxirpose  of  Him  who  made  us. 
Will  you  ask  the  soldier,  thrown  into  the  heat  of  battle,  to  explain 
the  plan  of  the  general  ?  How  could  he  ?  If  he  has  done  his  duty 
— if  he  has  thrown  himself  into  the  struggle — he  has  only  seen  the 
disorder  of  the  charge,  the  flashing  of  the  arms,  the  cloud  of  smoke 
and  dust,  he  has  only  heard  human  cries,  mixed  with  the  deafening 
sound  of  artillery.  To  him  all  was  disorder  and  chacs;  but  upon  the 
neighboring  heights  one  eye  followed  the  combat;  one  hand  directed 
the  least  movement  of  the  troops.  So  there  is  a  battle  which  is  pur- 
sued through  the  ages.  It  is  that  of  truth,  of  love  and  justice, 
against  error,  egotism,  and  inquity.  It  belongs  not  to  obscure 
soldiers,  thrown  into  the  fight,  to  direct  the  contest;  it  ought  to 
suffice  us  that  God  conducts  it;  it  is  for  us  to  remain  at  the  post  He 
assigns  to  us,  and  to  struggle  there  firmly,  "even  unto  the  end." 

And  when  we  look  back  from  the  very  heights  of  triumph — to 
which  we  now  turn  our  eyes  with  longing  and  with  hope  —  when  we 
trace  the  well-remembered  path  along  which  God  hath  led  our  feet 
from  warfare  to  victory,  and  from  weariness  forest,  all  will  be  plain, 
and  clear,  and  blessed,  in  the  presence  of  Him  who  has  said:  "What 
I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter." 
H.  0. 

Egotis-m— Too  frequent  mention  of  a  man's  self.  , 


TRUTH. 

Teuth  is  the  basis  of  all  practical  goodness;  without  it  all  virtues 
are  mere  representations  wanting  reality ;  and  having  no  foundation 
they  quickly  prove  their  evanescent  nature,  and  disappear  as  "  the 
morning  dew." 

Whatever  brilliant  abilities  we  may  possess,  if  the  dark'  spot  of 
falsehood  exists  in  our  hearts  it  defaces  their  splendor  and  destroys 
their  efficacy.  If  truth  be  not  our  guiding  spirit  we  shall  stumble 
upon  the  dark  mountains,  the  clouds  of  error  will  surround  us, 
and  we  shall  wander  in  a  labyrinth,  the  intricacy  of  which  will  in- 
crease   as  we    proceed  in  it.      No    art  can   unravel  the  web   that 


16 


SCflOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


falsehood    weaves,  which    is  more    tangled    than   the    knot  of   the 
Phrygian  king. 

Falsehood  is  ever  fearful,  and  shrinks  beneath  the  steadfast, 
piercing  eye  of  truth.  It  is  ever  restless  in  racking  the  invention, 
to  form  some  fi'esh  subterfuge  to  escape  detection.  Its  atmosphere 
is  darkness  and  misery;  it  lures  but  to  destroy,  and  leads  its  foDow- 
ers  into  the  depths  of  misery. 

Truth  is  the  sjiirit  of  light  and  beauty,  and  seeks  no  disguise ;  its 
noble  features  are  always  unveiled  and  shed  a  radiance  upon  every 
object  within  their  influence.  It  is  robed  in  spotless  white,  and, 
conscious  of  its  purity,  is  fearless  and  undaunted;  it  never  fails  its 
votaries,  and  conducts  them  through  evil  report  and  good  rejiort, 
without  spot  or  blemish;  it  breathes  of  heaven  and  happiness,  and 
is  ever  in  harmony  with  the  Great  First  Cause. 

'I'he  consciousness  of  truth  nerves  the  timid  and  imparts  dignity 
and  firmness  to  their  actions.  It  is  an  internal  jjrinciple  of  honor 
which  renders  the  possessor  superior  to  fear;  it  is  always  consistent 
with  itself,  and  needs  no  ally.  Its  influence  will  remain  when  the 
lustre  of  all  that  once  sparkled  and  dazzled  has  passed  away. 
"^  II.  O. 


Evanescent —Vanishing. 
Labyrinth — A  place  formed  with  inextric- 
able windings. 

Phrygia — In  Asia  Minor. 
Subterfuge — An  evasion,  a  trick. 


Votary — One  devoted  to  any  particular  per- 
son or  cause. 

Undaunted— Bold. 

GoRDiAN  Knot— An  intricate  knot  made  by 
the  Phrygian  king 


THE    TRUTH   SEEKEE. 


Goes  searching  for  the  light  of  truth, 
To  light  his  way,  adorn  his  youth, 
Till  sparkling  truths  his  mind  unfold, 
With  pearls  of  beauty,  gems  of  gold. 

The  Mght  of  truth  then  makes  him  shine 
In  robes  of  splendor,  most  divine; 
It  opes  a  fount  of  life  within, 
And  frees  the  mind  from  erring  sin. 

It  lifts  the  soul  in  waves  of  light. 
To  learn  the  truth  in  shades  of  night; 
It  purifies  the  stream  of  life 
Of  all  the  hells  of  hate  and  strife. 

From  every  source  of  life  below 
It  seeks  the  truth  of  God  to  know, 
And  opens  wide  the  way  of  life. 
To  quiet  realms  above  the  strife. 

Of  errors  dark  and  dismal  hells. 
Where  vice  and  sorrow  ever  dwells, 


It  constitutes  within  the  man 
A  saving  grace,  a  godly  plan. 

That  only  truth  can  make  us  free, 
And  lift  above  all  misery; 
That  God  in  man  must  be  enshrined, 
A  power  of  the  human  muid — • 

Of  light  and  Hfe,  and  joy  and  peace, 
That  constant  seeking  must  increase, 
To  founts  of  truth  that  ever  glow, 
A  saving  grace  from  earthly  woe. 

The  more  you  use  them  on  your  way, 
The  brighter  shines  your  living  day; 
Truth  is  the  coin  of  every  clime. 
The  golden  gem  for  all  of  time; 
It  parses  current  everywhere, 
The  richest  boon  that  we  can  heir. 

Adapted. 


FOR  THE  USB  OF  ISRAELITES.  17 

THE  MORAL  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR. 

One  of  the  higiiest  distinctions  which  God  has  conferred  upon  man 
is  that  love  of  labor  with  which  He  has  bound  him  to  the  world. 
The  more  industrious  man  shows  himself,  the  more  happily  he  enjoys 
the  fi'uits  of  his  exertions.  The  less,  however,  man  seeks  to  work  for 
his  own  maintenance,  the  more  he  lowers  within  him  that  mig-hty 
spirit  of  self-dependence  which  is  the  prime  mover  of  so  many  noble 
actions  in  life.  There  is  a  great  recreative  power  in  labor,  and  al- 
though it  often  makes  our  body  tired  and  our  spirit  weary  and  faint, 
still,  after  hours  of  rest,  it  inspires  us  with  new  love  for  the  w^ork  we 
have  to  pei-form.  We  fully  believe,  therefore,  that  labor  is  one  of  the 
greatest  civilizers  of  the  w^orld;  and  that  the  more  active  and  industri- 
ous a  nation  is,  the  happier  and  more  contented  it  is.  On  the  other 
hand,  however,  it  must  be  admitted,  that  the  more  indolent  and  idle 
j^eojile  are,  the  more  corruj^t  become  their  tastes,  the  coarser  their 
manners,  and  the  harder  their  feelings. 

There  is  a  moral  dignity  in  labor  which  raises  and  elevates  every 
human  being.  But  as  our  Scripture  dwells  so  often  with  great 
^mjDhasis  upon  the  importance  of  labor,  let  us,  in  this  instance,  speak 
on  the  moral  dignity  of  labor. 

Nearly  all  the  ancient  people  of  the  w^orld  hated  and  despised  labor, 
when  it  was  not  of  a  political  or  spiritual  kind.  From  Greece  down 
to  Egypt,  physical  labor  was  laid  upon  the  shoulders  of  a  working 
class,  who  were  exposed  to  the  utmost  contempt,  and  subjected  to 
the  most  brutal  treatment  at  the  hands  of  those  who  were  their 
masters  and  rulers.  Even  the  great  philosophers  amongst  the 
Greeks  and  Komans,  from  Plato  and  Aristotle  to  Seneca  and  Cicero, 
could  not  raise  themselves  above  svich  degrading  views.  When  we 
therefore  read  to-day  that  our  brethren  in  Egypt  did  not  hearken 
unto  Moses  for  anguish  of  spirit  and  hard  labor,  we  can  a'eally  feel 
with  them,  and  understand  their  wretched  condition.  Man  likes  to 
work  ;  but  if  no  redeeming  points  result  from  his  work,  if  not  the 
slightest  api^reciation  is  shown  to  him  by  those  for  whom  he  toils,  his 
labor  is  that  of  the  animals  of  the  field  which  work  by  dint  of  bridle 
and  command.  We  are,  for  this  reason,  not  astonished  that  our  fore- 
fathers could  not  listen  to  Moses,  for  their  mental  strength  was  en- 
tirely exhausted  by  the  physical  burdens  which  were  laid  upon  them. 
In  opposition  to  these  degrading  notions  of  the  ancients,  who  looked 
at  labor  as  an  occupation  fit  merely  for  slaves,  the  Jewish  religion 
raised  labor  for  the  first  time  to  a  moral  heig  ht,  saying :  "  Six  days 
shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all  thy  work.  But  the  seventh  is  the  Sabbath 
in  honor  of  the  Lord  thy  God.  On  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work  ; 
neither  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor  thy  man-servant,  nor 
thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  the  stranger  that  is  within  thy 
gates." 

PART   I. — 2 


18  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

In  order  to  guard  man  from  being  entirely  absorbed  by  labor,  the 
Sabbatli  was  appointed  a  moral  and  religiovis  institution,  whose  j)ur- 
2:)Ose  it  is  to  strengthen  the  physical  life  of  man,  to  raise  him  above 
the  more  materialistic  aims,  and  to  fill  his  soul  "wnth  thoughts  and 
ideas  that  reach  beyond  this  earthly  realm.  If,  therefore,  labor  in 
its  ultimate  purpose  has  such  a  spiritual  tendency  in  elevating  and 
refining  the  soul  of  man,  it  is  greatly  to  be  wished  that  we  give  our 
Sabbath  day  a  more  sanctified  expression  and  a  more  dignified  cele- 
bration. "  Labor,  without  the  rest  on  Sabbath  day,  demoralizes  man, 
fosters  the  love  of  self,  places  us  on  a  level  with  irrational  creation, 
and  gives  the  soul  a  mere  menial  position  in  the  great  household  of 
God."  But  there  is  still  another  point  in  labor  which  demands  our 
attention  for  a  few  minutes.  If  we  do  not  mistake,  labor  is  nothing 
else  than  a  social  contract  between  man  and  man,  by  which  the  one 
desires  that  a  certain  duly,  task,  or  obligation  shall  be  performed  by 
the  other.  Now,  as  a  compensation  for  these  duties  to  be  performed, 
society  has  adojoted  to  give  us  an  equivalent — Money.  And  still  society- 
is  wrong,  if  it  merely  measures  the  value  of  labor — as  is  too  often 
done  in  mercantile  countries—  from  a  monetary  point  of  view. 

By  doing  so,  it  reduces  labor  to  a  dry  mechanism,  and  deprives 
it  of  its  high,  moral  character.  There  are  various  kinds  of  labor 
which  you  never  can  pay  with  money—  say,  even  with  heaps  of  money. 
Let  us  take,  for  instance,  the  profession  of  a  physician.  There  is  not 
a  vocation  in  life  which  more  deserves  the  esteem  and  good- will  of 
society  than  that  j^ursued  by  the  class  of  men  we  call  physicians. 
They  are,  in  the  true  and  real  meaning  of  the  word,  the  most  faith- 
ful servants  of  humanity.  They  heal  the  sick  ;  they  comfoii:  the  suf- 
fering ;  they  often  clothe  the  naked  ;  and,  by  the  help  of  God  and 
their  own  skill,  they  not  only  drag  many  invalids  from  the  gates  of 
death,  but  also  bring  strength  and  hope  into  those  dark  and  di'eary 
rooms,  where  anxiety  and  fear  held  watch  over  the  life  of  a  beloved 
person.  And  do  you  think  that  you  can  adequately  remunerate  by 
money  the  labors  of  a  physician,  who  is  at  your  disposal  day  and 
night  ?  We  do  not  think  so.  A  physician  is  more  often  recom- 
pensed by  that  moral  dignity,  or  fervent  love,  which  he  finds  in  his 
ennobling  occupation.  Another  instance  :  Society  is  not  always  just 
and  noble  in  its  treatment  of  that  class  of  fellow-laborers  whom  we 
call  teachers  and  governesses.  Neither  teachers  nor  governesses  are 
compensated  for  the  work  in  which  they  ai'e  engaged  by  the  amount 
of  payment  they  receive  or  by  the  position  they  occupy  in  society. 
They  preside  over  the  intellectual  and  moral  training  of  youthful 
minds,  and  such  presidency  should  be  honored  with  marks  of  appro- 
bation. Many  young  men  are  indebted  to  theii*  teachers  for  the 
manly  and  healthy  tone  of  their  souls  ;  and  many  women  owe  their 
gentle  sentiments  and  refined  feelings  chiefly  to  governesses.  And 
in  what  way  are  these  real  benefactors  of  society  treated?     They  get 


FOR  Tllii:  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  19 

a  small,  scanty  salary  ;  and,  altliougli  their  minds  and  feelings  are 
highly  cultured,  and  their  intellect  is  expanded,  still,  in  the  social 
scale  of  estimation,  they  have  to  give  way  to  the  aristocracy  of  birth, 
to  the  aristocracy  of  wealth,  and  to  the  spurious  aristocracy^  of  siTCcess 
ful  adventurers.  What  would  become  of  the  moral  and  intellectual 
state  of  societ}^  if  teachers  and  instructors  acted  in  accordance  with 
the  small  degree  of  appreciation  with  which  their  services  are  ac- 
knowledged ?  I  am  sure  the  world  would  soon  become  a  wilderness, 
and  the  human  mind  an  unweeded  garden,  producing  distasteful 
fruits.  But,  Heaven  be  praised  !  the  true  leader  of  education  is  actu- 
ated in  the  performance  of  his  duties  by  a  higher  motive  than  that  of 
money.  The  moral  dignity  of  labor  leads  him  on  in  spite  of  many 
drawbacks  ;  and,  although  his  merits  are  ignored,  and  his  labor 
slighted,  still,  to  sjoeak  with  Lord  Brougham,  "  If  he  rests  from  his 
work,  he  bequeaths  his  memory  to  the  generation  whom  his  teach- 
ings have  blessed,  and  sleeps  under  the  humble  but  not  inglorious 
epitaph,  commemorating  one  in  idiom  mankind  lost  a  friend,  and  no 
man  got  rid  of  an  enemy." 

K  we  look  into  our  Bible  we  find  that  "  labor  "  is  greatly  appre- 
ciated throughout  the  whole  book.  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob 
were  watchful  shepherds  ;  JVloses  received  his  divine  message  when 
feeding  the  flock  ;  David  exchanged  the  shepherd's  staff  for  the 
royal  sceptre,  and  King  Saul  and  the  Prophet  Elisha  were  taken 
from  the  plow  to  enter  upon  higher  spheres  of  activity.  Physical 
labor  was  so  highly  valued  amongst  our  brethren  that,  at  the  time 
when  Nebuchadnezzar  conquered  Jerusalem  he  took  a  thousand 
Jewish  smiths  and  blacksmiths  with  him  from  Palestine  to  Babylon. 
After  they  returned  fi'om  Babylon  it  was  the  custom  in  Israel' that 
every  learned  man  combined  with  his  learned  pursuit  a  trade  or 
handicraft.  Thus  we  are  told  that  the  great  Hillel  was  a  wood- 
cutter ;  Eabbi  Joshua,  a  pinmaker  ;  Rabbi  Nehemia  Ilakador,  a 
potter  ;  Rabbi  Judah,  a  tailor  ;  Rabbi  Joshua  Hasaudler,  a  shoe- 
maker ;  and  Rabbi  Judah  Hanechtan,  a  baker.  In  Jerusalem 
there  were  at  one  time  so  many  coj)persmiths  that  they  had  their 
own  synagogue. 

In  fine,  we  recommend  the  moral  dignity  of  labor  most  warmly 
and  emphatically  to  all  classes,  but  especially  to  our  poor  people. 
If  anything  can  release  them  from  their  wretched  position,  it  is  the 
zeal  and  perseverance  with  which  they  should  devote  themselves  to 
labor,  for  it  is  one  of  the  highest  sentiments  of  honor  to  know 
that  we  ourselves  are  the  procurers  of  our  own  support  and  mainte- 
nance. 

Let  then  each  and  every  one  of  us  remain  steady  and  faithful  to 
the  occupation  of  his  choice,  and  I  am  sure  that  the  love  of  labor 
must  ultimately  redeem  us  from  the  heavy  joressure  of  tiresome 
hours  ;  it  must  protect  us  from  want  and  indigence,  and  make  us 


20 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


contented  with  ourselves,  contented  with  the  world,  and  thankful 
towards  God.  H.  Baar. 


Kev.  Dr.  H.  Baar — Superintendent  of  the  New  York  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum,  formerly 
minister  of  the  Seel  St.  Congregation,  Liverpool.  England,  and  noted  for  his  great  pedagogical 
knowledge. 


Materiality — Material  exisience  not  spirit- 
nality. 

Akistockacy — Which  places  the  supreme 
power  in  the  nobles. 


Savant — A  man  of  learning. 

Epitaph  — An  inscriptioa  of  a  tombstone. 

Sphere— Compass  of  action. 


THE  BEACON. 


When  sailing  on  a  stormy  sea, 
Encompassed  by  the  night, 
How  anxiously  the  sailors  watch 
For  but  one  gleam  of  light. 

And  when  upon  the  distant  shore 
They  see  the  beacons  flame. 
Oh!  then  a  hundred  voices  rise 
In  grateful,  glad  acclaim. 


Which  doth  the  sea  of  life  illume 
In  tempest,  gloom  and  night. 

When  compassed  by  the  waves  of  sin. 
The  shoals  and  reefs  of  shame, 
Oh!  then  that  beacon  is,  in  truth, 
A  spark  of  heavenly  flame. 


What  though  temptation's  power  is  great, 
And  gilded  vice  is  strong. 
What  though  the  storm-winds  fiercely  i  What  though  around  the  storm-tossed 


blow, 

And  lowery  is  the  sky* 
What  though  the  waves  in  fury  dash 
O'er  reefs  and  breakers  nigh  ? 

That  beacon  light  will  lead  Lhem  safe 
The  stormy  waters  o'er. 
Like  some  bright  messenger  of  God, 
To  friends  and  native  shore. 

Thus  burns  within  the  human  heart, 
A  glorious  beacon  light, 


bark 
Is  heard  the  siren's  song  ? 

That  guiding  star  will  load  man  on 
In  triumph  to  that  shore, 
Where  sin  and  pain  can  never  come. 
And  joy  reigns  evermore. 

Oh!  wouldst  thou  see  the  beacon  light, 
Whose  rays  will  never  wane. 
Then  ever  keep  within  thy  heart 
A  conscience  free  from  staiii. 

Max  Meyerhardt. 

Max  Myerhardt  — An  eminent  lawyer  residing  at  Rome,  Ga.,   possessing  great  literary 
attainments,  and  a  constant' contributor  to  the  Jewish  press. 

Siren — A  goddess  who  enticed  men  by  singing;  bewitching,  fascinating. 


RICHES  AND  WISDOM. 

Riches  and  ease,  it  is  perfectly  clear,  are  not  necessary  for  man's 
highest  culture,  else  the  world  would  not  have  been  so  largely  in- 
debted to  those  who  have  sprung  from  tlie  humble  ranks. 

Indeed,  so  far  from  poverty  being  a  misfoi-tune,  it  may,  by  vigor- 
ous self-help,  be  converted  even  into  a  blessing,  rousing  a  man  to 
that  struggle  with  the  world  through  which,  though  some  purchase 
ease  by  degradation,  the  right-minded  and  true-heaited  will  find 
strength,  confidence,  and  triumph. 

The  knowledge  and  experience  which  produce  wisdom  can  only 
become  a  man's  individual  j^ossession  and  property  by  his  own 
action  ;  and  it  is  as  futile  to  expect  these  without  laborious,  pains- 
taking effort  as  it  is  to  hope  to  gather  a  harvest  where  the  seed  has 
not  been  sown. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  21 

It  is  said  of  a  Bishop,  who  possessed  great  power,  that  he  was 
asked  by  his  stupid  and  idle  brother  to  make  a  great  man  of  him. 
"Brother,"  rephed  the  Bishop,  "if  your  plow  is  broken.  111  pay 
for  the  mending  of  it ;  or,  if  your  ox  should  die,  I'll  buy  you  an- 
other; but  I  cannot  make  a  great  man  of  you — a  plowman  1  found 
you,  and,  I  fear,  a  plowman  I  must  leave  you." 

But  the  same  characteristic  feature  of  energetic  industry  hajopily 
has  its  counterpart  among  the  other  ranks  of  the  community.  The 
middle  and  well-to-do  classes  are  constantly  throwing  out  vigorous 
offshoots  in  all  directions  —  in  Science,  Commerce,  and  Art — thus 
adding  effectively  to  the  working  power  of  the  country.  Indeed, 
the  empire  of  England  and  India  was  won  and  held  chiefly  by  men 
of  the  middle  classes,  men,  for  the  most  part,  bred  in  factories,  and 
trained  to  habits  of  j^ractical  business.  It  is  the  diligent  hand  and 
head  that  acquires  self-culture,  wisdom,  and  riches. 

Even  when  men  are  born  to  wealth  and  high  social  position,  any 
solid  reputation  which  they  may  achieve  is  only  attained  by  ener- 
getic apj)lication;  for,  though  an  inheritance  of  acres  may  be  be- 
queathed, an  inheritance  of  knowledge  cannot. 

The  wealthy  man  may  pay  others  for  doing  his  work  for  him,  but 
it  is  impossible  to  get  his  thinking  done  for  him  by  another,  or  to 
purchase  any  kind  of  self-culture.  Fortune  has  often  been  blamed 
for  its  blindness,  but  fortune  is  not  so  blind  as  men  are.  Fortune 
is  usually  on  the  side  of  the  industrious,  as  the  wind  and  waves  are 
on  the  side  of  the  best  navigators. 

The  difference  between  riches  and  wisdom  is  the  close  observation 
of  little  things,  which  is  the  secret  of  success  in  business,  in  art,  in 
science,  and  in  every  jDursuit  in  life.  The  difference  between  men 
consists,  in  a  great  measure,  in  the  intelligence  of  these  observa- 
tions. Solomon  said:  "  The  wise  man's  eyes  are  in  his  head,  but 
the  fool  walketh  in  darkness;  the  non-observant  man  goes  through 
the  forest,  and  sees  no  firewood." 
Adapted. 

Chaeaoteeistic -Pointing  out  the  true  cbar- I      Codnteepaet— The  corresponding   part, 
acter.  Self-cultubb — The    art    of    self-improve- 


ment. 


WORK. 


There  are  times  when  a  heaviness  comes  over  the  heart,  and  we 
feel  as  if  there  was  no  hope.  Who  has  not  felt  it?  For  this  there 
is  no  cure  but  work.  Plunge  into  it,  put  all  your  energies  into  mo- 
tion, rouse  up  the  inner  man,  act,  and  this  heaviness  shall  disappear 
as  the  mist  before  the  morning  sun. 

There  arise  doubts  in  the  human  mind  which  sink  us  into  lethargy, 
vvrap  us  in  gloom,  and  make  us  think  that  it  were  bootless  to  at- 
tempt anything.     Who  has  not  exj^erienced  them  ?     Work !     That 


22  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

is  the  cure.  Task  your  intellect ;  stir  up  your  feelings,  rouse  the 
soul,  do,  and  these  doubts,  hanging  like  a  heavy  cloud  upon  the 
mountain,  will  scatter  and  disapj^ear,  and  leave  you  in  sunshine  and 
open  day. 

There  comes  suspicion  to  the  best  of  men,  and  fears  about  the 
holiest  effoi-ts,  and  we  stand  like  one  chained.  Who  has  not  felt 
this?  Work!  Therein  is  freedom.  By  night,  by  day,  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  work,  and  liberty  will  be  yours.  Put  in  requisi- 
tion mind  and  bod}",  war  with  inertness,  snap  the  chain-link  of 
selfishness,  stand  up  as  a  defender  of  the  right,  be  yourself,  and 
this  suspicion  and  these  fears  will  be  lulled  ;  and,  like  the  ocean 
storm,  you  will  be  j^urified  by  the  contest,  and  able  to  bear  and 
breast  any  burden  of  human  ill. 

Gladden  life  with  its  sunniest  features,  and  gloss  it  over  with  its 
richest  hues,  and  it  becomes  a  poor  and  painted  thing,  if  there  be 
in  it  no  toil,  no  hearty,  hard  work.  The  laborer  sighs  for  repose. 
Where  is  it  ?  What  is  it  ?  Friend,  whoever  thou  art,  know  it  is 
to  be  found  alone  in  work.  No  good,  no  greatness,  no  progress  is 
gained  without  this.  Work,  then,  and  faint  not;  for  therein  is  the 
well-spring  of  human  hope  and  human  happiness. 
Cassius  M.  Clay. 

Cassius  M.  Clay — An  eminent  American  statesman  and  orator,  born  in  tlae  County  of 
Hanover.  Virginia,  April  12,  1777,  and  died  June  29,  1852.  He  was  a  lawyer,  and  in  1806 
chosen  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  afterward  became  Secretary  of  Stateunder  the 
Presidency  of  John  Quincy  Adams. 

Lethargy — A  morbid  drowsiness.  I      Inehtness  -The  state    or  quality   of  being 

Bootless— Useless.  inert — dull. 


HELP  THY  BROTH  EE. 

If  thou  canst  speak  one  little  word  |  If  tliou  canst  do  a  kindly  deed, 

To  cheer  thy  brother  on  his  way,  " 

Then  fearless  let  thy  voice  be  heard, 

Perchance  'twill  change  his  night  to 
day. 

If  thou  canst  cast  one  ray  of  hope, 
To  him,  when  sinking  in  despair, 


Pail  not  to  act  the  helper's  part, 
No  matter  what  thy  brother's  creed, 
He'll  feel  thy  kindness  in  his  heart. 

If  thou  canst  lift  a  fallen  one, 

Who  journeys  on  in  paths  of  sin, 
Be  sure  in  this  thv  duty's  done, 


Perchance  'twill  prove  a  saving  rope.  Though  thou  no   earthly  crown   may 

Fail  not  to  do  thy  duty  there.  win.  Adapted. 


EFFECTS  OF  OUR  DEEDS. 

The  common  and  popular  notion  is  that  death  is  the  end  of  man, 
as  far  as  this  world  is  concerned;  that  the  grave  which  covers  his 
form  covers  and  keeps  within  its  chambers  all  his  inlluence;  and 
that  the  instant  he  has  ceased  to  breathe,  that  instant  the  man  has 
ceased  to  act. 

It  is  not  so;  it  is  a  popular  mistake.  We  die,  but  leave  an  in- 
fluence behind  us  that  survives  ;  the  echoes  of  our  words  are  still 
repeated  and  reflected  along  the  ages. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  33 

A  man  has  two  immortalities :  one  lie  leaves  behind  him,  and  it 
walks  the  earth,  and  still  represents  him;  another  he  carries  with 
him  to  that  lofty  sphere,  the  presence  and  glory  of  God.  "  Every 
man  is  a  missionary,  now  and  forever,  for  good  or  evil,  whether  he 
intends  it  or  not.  He  may  be  a  blot,  radiating  his  dark  iniiuence  out- 
ward to  the  very  circumference  of  society;  or  he  may  be  a  blessing, 
spi'eading  benedictions  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  world ; 
but  a  blank  he  cannot  be.  The  seed  sown  in  life  springs  up  in  har- 
vests of  blessings,  or  harvests  of  sorrow."  Adapted. 


Immortality -Exempt  from  death.  I      Benediction — Blessing 

MissioNABY— Ones 'snt  to  propagate  religion.  | 


SAVING  FOE  OLD  AGE. 

No  one  denies  that  it  is  wise  to  make  a  j^rovision  for  old  age ;  iDut 
we  are  not  at  all  agreed  as  to  the  kind  of  provision  it  is  best  to  lay 
up.  Certainly,  we  shall  want  money;  for  a  destitute  old  man  is,  in- 
deed, a  j)itiful  sight.  Therefore,  save  money  by  all  means.  But  an 
old  man  needs  just  that  j)articular  kind  of  strength  which  young  men 
are  most  apt  to  waste.  Many  a  foolish  young  man  will  throw  away, 
on  a  holiday,  a  certain  amount  of  nervous  energy,  which  he  will 
never  feel  the  want  of  till  he  is  seventy;  and  tlvn  how  much  he  will 
need  it!  It  is  curious,  but  true,  that  a  bottle  of  champagne  at 
twenty  may  intensify  the  rheumatism  of  three-score.  It  is  a  fact  that, 
overtasking  the  eyes  at  fourteen,  may  necessitate  the  aid  of  specta- 
cles at  forty,  instead  of  eighty. 

We  advise  our  young  re A^ex^  io  Aie  saving  of  health  for  their  old 
age;  for  the  maxim  holds  good  w^itli  regard  to  health  as  to  money, 
^'  Waste  not,  want  not."  It  is  the  greatest  mistake  to  suppose  that 
any  violation  of  the  laws  of  health  can  escape  its  penalty.  Nature 
forgives  no  sin,  no  error.  She  lets  off  the  offender  for  fifty  years 
sometimes,  bat  she  catches  him  at  last,  and  inflicts  the  punishment 
just  tvhen,  irhere,  and  how  he  feels  it  most.  Save  up  for  old  age,  but 
save  knowledge ;  save  the  recollection  of  good  deeds  and  innocent 
pleasure;  save  pure  thoughts;  save  fi'iends;  save  rich  stores  of  that 
kind  of  wealth  which  time  cannot  diminish,  nor  death  take  away. 

Adapted. 

Champagne — A  kind  of  wine.  |      Intensify— To  render  more  intense. 


A  PSALM  OF  LIFE. 


Tell  me  not,  in  mournful  numbers, 
Life  is  but  an  empty  dream  ! 

For  the  soul  is  dead  that  slumbers, 
And  things  are  not  what  they  seem. 


Life  is  real!  life  is  earnest! 

And  the  grave  is  not  its  goal; 
Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  returnest, 

Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul. 


24  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Not  enjoyment,  and  not  sorrow,  Act— act  in  the  living  Present ! 

Is  our  destined  end  or  way;  "      I      Heart  within,  and  God  o'erhead. 
But  to  act,  that  each  to-morrow 

Find  us  further  than  to-day.  |  Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 

I      We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 

Art  is  long,  and  time  is  fleeting,  '  And  departing,  leave  behind  us 

And    our    hearts,  though   stout  aud        Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time, 
brave. 


Still,  like  mulfled  drums,  are  beating 
Funeral  marches  to  the  grave. 

In  the  world's  broad  field  of  battle, 

In  the  bivouac  of  life, 
Be  not  like  dumb,  driven  cattle  ! 

Be  a  hero  in  the  strife  ! 

Trust  no  future,  however  pleasant! 


Footprints,  that  perhaps  another, 
Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 

A  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother, 
Seeing,  shall  take  heart  again. 

Let  us,  then,  be  up  and  doing, 
With  a  heart  for  any  fate; 

Still  achieving,  still  pursuing. 
Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait. 


Let  the  dead  Past  bury  its  dead!  H.  Longfellow. 


Henbt  W.  Longfellow,  a  native  of  Portland,  Maine,  was  graduated  at  Bowdoin  College 
in  1825,  where  he  was  professor  of  modern  languages  for  several  years,  and  afterward  held  a 
similar  professorship  in  the  University  of  Cambridge  from  1836  to  1851.  He  held  a  very  high' 
rank  among  the  authors  of  America,  and  was  one  of  the  most  popular  poets. 


ELIJAH  AT  MOUNT  HOREB. 

"  Go  forth,"  it  liad  been  said  to  Elijah,  "  and  stand  upon  the 
mount  before  the  Lord."  The  prophet  hears  it,  and  leaves  his  cave; 
and  no  sooner  is  he  gone  forth  than  signs  occur  which  announce  to 
him  the  approach  of  the  Almighty.  The  sacred  historian  here,  in- 
deed, depicts,  in  simple  language,  a  most  sublime  scene. 

The  first  sign  was  a  tremendoixs  wind.  Just  before,  probably, 
the  deepest  silence  had  prevailed  throughout  this  di-eary  wilderness. 
The  mountain  tempest  breaks  foi-th,  and  the  bursting  rocks  thunder, 
as  if  the  four  winds,  having  been  confined  there,  had,  in  an  instant, 
broken  from  their  prisons  to  fight  together.  The  clouds  are  driven 
about  in  the  sky,  like  squadrons  of  combatants  rushing  to  the  con- 
flict. The  sandy  desert  is  like  a  raging  sea,  tossing  its  curling  bil- 
lows to  the  sky.  Sinai  is  agitated,  as  if  the  terrors  of  the  law-giving 
were  renewed  around  it.  The  prophet  feels  the  noajesty  of  Jehovah; 
it  is  awful  and  appalling.  It  is  not  a  feeling  of  peace,  and  of  the 
Lord's  blissful  nearness,  which  possesses  Elijah's  soul  in  this  tre- 
mendous scene;  it  is  rather  a  feeling  of  distressing  distance.  "A 
strong  wind  went  before  the  Lord,  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  wind." 

The  terrors  of  an  earthquake  next  ensue.  The  very  foundations 
of  the  hills  shake  and  av&  removed.  The  mountains  and  the  rocks, 
which  were  rent  by  the  mighty  wind,  threaten  now  to  fall  upon  one 
another.  Hills  sink  down,  and  valleys  rise;  chasms  yawn,  and  hor- 
rible depths  unfold,  as  if  the  earth  were  removed  out  of  its  place. 
The  prophet,  surrounded  by  the  ruins  of  nature,  feels  still  more  of 
that  divine  majesty  which  "looketh  upon  earth,  and  it  trembleth." 
But  he  still  remains  without  any  gracious  communication  of  Jeho- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRA.ELITES. 


25 


vah  in  the  inner  man.  The  earthquake  was  only  the  second  herald 
of  the  Deity.  It  went  before  the  Lord,  "  but  the  Lord  was  not  in 
the  earthquake." 

When  this  had  ceased,  an  awful  fire  passed  by.  As  the  winds 
had  done  before,  so  now  the  flames  came  upon  him  from  every  side, 
and  the  deepest  shades  of  night  are  turned  into  the  light  of  day. 
EHjah,  lost  in  adoring  astonishment,  beholds  the  awfully  sublime 
spectacle,  and  the  inmost  sensation  of  his  heai-t  must  have  been  that 
of  surprise  and  dread,  but  he  enjoys,  as  yet,  no  delightful  sensation 
of  the  divine  presence;  "the  Lord  was  not  in  the  fire." 

The  fire  disappears  and  tranquillity,  like  the  stillness  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, spreads  gradually  over  all  nature,  and  it  seems  as  if  every 
hiU  and  dale  — yea,  the  whole  earth  and  skies — lay  in  silent  homage 
at  the  footstool  of  Eternal  Majesty.  The  very  mountains  seemed  to 
worship,  the  whole  scene  is  hushed  to  profound  peace;  and  now  he 
hears  a  "still,  small  voice."  "And  it  was  so  when  Ehjah  heard  it,  he 
wrapt  his  face  in  his  mantle,"  in  token  of  reverential  awe  and  adoring 
wonder,  and  went  forth,  "  and  stood  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave." 
H.  A. 

Squadron — A  part  of  an  army  or  part  of  a 
fleet. 
Chasm — A  cleft,  a  gap,  an  opening. 


Sanctuaby — A  holy  place. 

Homage— To  pay  respect  by  external  action. 


ELIJAH,  THE  PROPHET. 


He  dwelt  in  a  lonely  spct 

By  the  side  of  a  flowing  brook; 
His  soul  held  commune  alone  with  God 

In  nature's  open  book; 
No  easy  home  at  eve, 

No  household  gods  are  there, 
No  prattling  voices  to  cheer  the  heart. 

And  blend  in  the  evening  prayer. 

When  the  god  of  day  sank  down 

To  his  couch  in  the  golden  west, 
No  silken  coverlet — bed  of  down — 

Wooed  his  tired  limbs  to  rest; 
The  soft  sky,  with  its  twinkling  stars, 

Was  his  canopy  overhead, 
The  dry  leaves  pillowed  his  weary  brow, 

The  cold,  damp  earth  was  his  bed. 

No  chalice  of  burnished  gold 

With  rich  wine  sparkling  high 
Was  held  to  his  Hps,  but  he  quenched 
his  thirst. 

When  his  throat  was  parched  and  dry, 
At  the  rippling  brook  tha,t  wound 

Like  a  ribbon  among  the  trees. 
And  his  heated  face  was  fanned  at  eve 

By  the  gentle  murmuring  breeze. 


No  slave  obeyed  his  will. 

Or  spread  on  the  festal  board 
Costly  viands,  all  rich  and  rare, 

Or  tempting  nectar  poured; 
But  the  ravens  brought  bread  and  flesh,. 

When  the   flowers  were  kissed  with 
the  dew 
In  the  morning   dawn,  and  when  twi- 
light came 

The  heaven-sent  birds  came  too. 

What  a  glorious  scene  was  there  ! 

The  grand  old  man  of  God 
In  that  lonely  spot,  far  from  the  haunts 
of  man. 

With  his  couch  the  humble  sod; 
Yet,  not  forsaken — Jehovah  still, 

From  the  great  white  throne  above, 
Remembered  and  cared  for  his  humble 
wants 

With  a  father's  tender  love. 

Ahab,  the  wicked  king. 

In  a  lordly  palace  dwelt, 
While  Elijah,  the  lowly  son  of  God. 

On  the  damp  turf  humbly  knelt; 
The  wild  birds  brought  him  food, 


26  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Aud  he  drank  from  the  flowing  stream, :  And  the  prophet  without  even  tasting 
But,  oh !    through  the  mist  of  the  dim  death, 

earth  life  i      Was  caught  up  to  God  on  high 


He  saw  heaven's  glorious  gleam. 

Ahab's  guilty  career  was  run, 
And  he  died  as  the  wicked  die; 


In  a  chariot  of  glowing  fire; 

When  his  great  earth  work  was  done 
He  rose  up  to  grace  Jehovah's  court, 

And  his  heavenly  crown  was  won. 
R.  A.  Levy. 


Chalice— A  cup,  a  bowl.  I      Chariot— A  carriage  of  state  or  pleasure. 

Kectab— The  supposed  drink  of  the  heathen 
gods  I 


THE  VALUE  OF  GOD'S  LOVE. 

Artaban  sent  a  Kabbi  a  jewel  of  great  value,  requesting  him  to 
send  an  article  in  return  Avhich  would  be  of  equal  worth.  The  Rabbi 
sent  him  a  mesum  (a  small  capsule  which  contains  a  portion  of 
the  holy  law,  according  to  the  Mosaic  Code,  and  is  generally  attached 
to  the  door-post  to  keep  God  always  in  mind).  "What!"  said 
Artaban,  "  I  have  sent  you  an  object  which  is  worth  so  much  gold, 
and  you  return  me  a  present  of  hardly  any  value."  "Friend!"  an- 
swered the  Rabbi,  "  all  youi"  riches  and  mine  also  are  not  ec[ual  to 
the  object  I  sent  you.  Besides,  consider  that  your  present  requires 
my  care  and  attention  in  preserving  it;  whilst  mine  keeps  watch  over 
you,  and  with  it  you  may  rest  in  safety.  For  the  holy  law  accom- 
jjanies  you  in  this  world,  attends  you  Avhile  you  sleep  in  death,  and, 
at  the  awakening,  you  will  find  it  again." — Proverbs  vi:  22. 

Talmud. 


THE  LIFE  OF  MAN  COMPRISED  IN  RELIGION. 

The  law  seizes  upon  man  at  every  step,  at  every  period  of  his  life, 
and  in  each  corner  of  his  dwelling;  it  thus  imposes  upon  him  a 
commandment,  in  order  to  give  him  an  ojjportunity  to  acquire  a  re- 
ward. By  laboring  in  the  fields,  yoke  not  the  ox  and  the  ass  to- 
gether. In  sowing  seed,  do  not  sow,  in  the  same  place,  seeds  of  va- 
rious kinds.  At  reaping  time,  leave  a  share  lor  the  poor.  In  pre- 
jDaring  food,  set  apart  a  portion  for  the  priest.  When  going  to  hunt 
birds,  take  not  the  mother  with  the  young  ones.  In  establishing  a 
new  plantation,  enjoy  its  fruit  only  after  three  years.  At  a  funeral 
j)rocession,  do  no(  inflict  pain  by  making  incisions  in  your  own  flesh. 
In  attending  to  the  beard,  do  not  clip  it  according  to  heathen  custom. 
In  building,  make  a  raihng  around  your  roof  to  prevent  accidents. 
Each  small  poi-tion  of  man  wishes  to  be  consecrated  by  some  meri- 
torious act;  therefore  the  law  contains  248  commandments,  as 
many  parts  as  those  into  which  the  human  body  is  capable  of  being 
dissected.  Each  day  of  the  year  wishes  to  be  dedicated  to  some  no- 
ble work;  and  thus  the  law  comprises  365  prohibitions,  the  number 
of  days  belonging  to  the  solar  year. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  27 

The  law  is  like  a  sheet-anchor  to  him  who  suffers  shipwreck  ;  as 
long"  as  he  cling^s  to  it,  he  remains  safe  ;  and,  so  long  as  man  con- 
nects himself  with  the  law,  he  is  also  saved. 
Talmud. 

Incision — A  cut  or  woiiud  made  with  a  sharp  instrunieut. 
Mebitobious — Deserving  of  reward. 


THE  KING  AND  THE  LABORERS. 

A  CERTAIN  king-  had  in  his  garden  an  immense  ditch,  which  was  so 
deep  that  the  eye  could  scarcely  reach  the  bottom . 

One  day  he  hired  some  laborers,  and  ordered  them  to  collect 
earth  and  other  materials  to  till  the  ditch  wath. 

A  few  w^ent  to  look  at  the  ditch,  and,  perceiving  its  immense 
depth,  said  in  their  silly  way:  "How  is  it  possible  to  fill  this  ditch?" 
And  they  showed  no  desire  to  undertake  the  task.  But  others, 
more  sensible  again  than  they,  said  :  "What  does  it  matter  that  the 
ditch  is  so  very  deep?  We  are  paid  by  the  day,  and,  as  we  feel 
hajDpy  in  having  found  work,  we  ought  to  do  our  duty  in  filling  the 
same,  as  far  as  we  possibW  can  accomj^lish."  Thus  also  with  man, 
who  ought  not  to  say:  "Oh!  how  immeasurable  is  God's  laAv  !  It 
is  deeper  than  the  sea— how  many  jDrecejits!  How  are  they  all  to 
be  fultiUed  ?" 

But  God  says  to  man  :  "  You  are  paid  by  the  day  ;.  do  your  work 
as  far  as  lies  in  your  power,  and  don't  think  of  others." 

Talmud. 


THE  TONGUE. 

"  Go  and  fetch  me  a  piece  of  meat  from  the  shambles,  even  the 
best  of  its  kind,"  said  Rabbi  Simeon  to  his  servant  Tobia.  The  man 
went  and  brought  him  a  tongue.  "  Bring  me,"  said  he  at  another 
time,  "  a  piece  of  meat  of  the  worst  quality  you  can  get  at  the  sham- 
bles," and  again  the  servant  brought  him  a  tongue.  "  What  is  the 
meaning  of  this  ?"  inquired  the  astonished  Rabbi.  And  the  in- 
telligent servant  answered  :  "  The  tongue  is  the  best,  and  also  the 
worst  in  the  world.  ]f  it  is  a  good  one,  there  is  nothing  better  ; 
if  it  is  a  slanderous  one,  then  there  is  nothing  worse."  "  Life 
and  death  is  dependent  on  the  tongue,"  said  the  wise  king. — Prov. 
xviii:  21. 

Talmud. 


WHAT  WE  SHOULD  HAVE. 

Have  a  tear  for  the  wretched  ;  a  smile    Some  help  for  the  needy  ;  some  pity  for 

for  the  glad ;  |         those 

For  the  worthy  applause  ;    an    excuse  ,  Who  stray  from   the  p^th   where  true 

for  the  bad.  |  happiness  flows. 


28  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Have  a  laugh  for  the  child  in  her  play 
at  your  feet ; 

Have  respect  for  the  aged,  and  pleas- 
antly greet 

The  stranger  that  seeketh  for  shelter 
from  thee  ; 

Have  a  covering  to  spare  if  he  naked 


Have  a  hope  in  thy  sorrow,  a  calm  in 

thy  joy  ; 
Have  a  work  that  is  worthy  thy  life  to 

employ  ; 
And,  oh  !  above  all  things  on  this  side 

the  sod, 
Have  peace  with    thy   conscience   and 


should  be.  '  peace  with  thy  God. 

Adapted. 

A  HEBREW  PARABLE. 

An  old  Hebrew  story  tells  us  liow  a  poor  creature  one  day  came 
to  the  Temple  from  a  sick  bed  on  tottering  limbs.  He  was  ashamed 
to  come,  for  he  was  very  poor,  and  had  no  sacrifice  to  offer.  As  he 
drew  near,  he  heard  the  loud  choir  chanting  :  "  Thou  desirest  not 
sacrifice,  else  would  I  give  it  ;  the  sacrifices  of  Grod  are  a  broken 
spirit  ;  a  broken  and  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  desi:)ise.'* 
Other  worshipers  came,  passed  before  him,  and  offered  their  sacri- 
fice ;  but  he  had  none.  But  at  length  he  prostrated  himself  before 
the  priest,  who  said:  "  What  wilt  thou,  my  son  ;  hast  thou  an  offer- 
ing?" And  he  replied:  "  No,  my  father,  for  last  night  a  poor  widow 
and  her  children  came  to  me,  and  1  had  nothing  to  offer  them  but 
the  two  pigeons  which  were  ready  for  the  sacrifice."  "  Bring,  then," 
baid  the  jwiest,  "  an  ephah  of  fine  flour."  "  Nay,  but,  my  father," 
said  the  old  man,  "  this  day  my  sickness  and  jDOvei^ty  have  left  only 
enough  for  my  own  starving  children.  I  have  not  even  an  ephah  of 
flour."  "  Why,  then,  art  thou  come  to  me  ?"  said  the  priest.  "  Be- 
cause I  heard  them  singing,  '  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken 
spirit.'  Will  he  not  accept  my  sacrifice  if  I  say,  '  Lord,  be  merciful 
to  me,  a  sinner?' "  And  the  priest  lifted  the  old  man  from  the 
ground,  and  he  said  :  "■  Yes,  thou  art  blessed,  my  son  ;  it  is  thy 
offering  which  is  better  than  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil." 
S.  F.  P. 

Ephah— A  Hebrew  measiire   of  three  pecks  and  three  pints;  or,   according   to   some,  of 
seven  gallons  aad  four  pints. 


UNHAPPY  MEN. 

In  this  life,  men,  while  they  are  perpetually  achieving  success,  are 
far  from  being  happy.  There  are  men  whose  vineyards  bear 
abundant  clusters  ;  but  who  do  not  know  how  to  make  their  wine 
out  of  them  ;  or,  to  drop  the  figure,  men  live  in  this  world,  and 
attain  success  in  a  great  variety  of  directions,  but  do  not  know  how 
to  manufacture  haj)piiiess  out  of  it.  How  is  it?  What  is  the 
matter  ?  Why  are  not  men  happy  ?  What  is  it  that  distresses 
them  ?  How  large  an  element  of  care  enters  into  common  life  ? 
How  large  an  element  of  fear  ?  How  large  an  element  of  greedi- 
ness ?  How  dissatisfied  men  are  because  their  success  is  not  so 
large    as   they   desire !     How  much  envy   and  jealousy   there    are 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


29 


among  them  !  One  looks  out  of  his  palace,  and  sees  other  j^alaces 
going  up  that  are  liner  than  his,  and  that  are  owned  by  men  who 
own  more  than  he  does  ;  and,  though  he  has  more  than  heart  could 
wish,  he  loses  the  flavor  of  his  own  affairs,  because  somebody  has 
more  j)roperty  than  he.  And  so  with  unsatisfied  ambition,  with 
over-greediness,  with  complaining  discontent,  and  with  narrow 
selfishness,  men  are  perj^etually  cutting  themselves,  as  the  old 
heathen  did  in  their  worship.  So  men,  by  care,  by  envy,  by  the 
malign  jDassions,  are  taking  away  the  flavor  of  true  contentment 
from  themselves.  Men  seldom  have  j)eace  in  this  great  discordant 
world.  In  the  din  and  rush  of  human  life,  you  can  seldom  find  peace. 
H.  W.  Beechek. 

Rev.   Henhy  Wakd    Beecher    is   an  eloquent   clergyman   and  public  lecturer,   living  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 

Malign— Unfavorable,  malicious. 


SONG  OF  REBECCA. 


But  present  still,  thouj^h  now  unseen, 

When  brightly  shines  the  prosiserous 
day, 
Be  thoughts  of  Thee  a  cloudy  screen. 

To  temper  the  deceitful  ray. 
And,  oh  !  where  stoops  on  Judah's  path 

In   shade   and   storm,    the    frequent 
night. 
Be  Thou,  long  suffering,  slow  to  wrath, 

A  burning  and  a  shining  light ! 

Our  harps  we  left  by  Babel's  stream; 

The  tyrant's  jest,  the  Gentile's  scorn; 
No  censer  round  our  altar  beams, 

And    mute   are   timbrel,  trump,  and 
horn ; 
But  Thou  hast  said,  the  blood  of  goat. 

The  flesh  of  rams,  I  will  not  prize, 
A  contrite  heart,  an  humble  thought, 

Are  mine  accepted  sacrifice. 
Walter  Scott. 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  one  of  the  most  eminent  names  in  English  literature,  was  born  in 
Edinburgh,  April  15,1771,  and  died  on  September  21,  1832.  He  is  the  author  of  a  great  many 
worSs. 


When  Israel,  of  the  Lord  beloved. 

Out  of  the  land  of  bondage  came, 
Her  Father's  God  before  her  moved, 

An  awful  guide  in  smoke  and  flame. 
By  day,  along  the  astonished  lands, 

The  clouded  pillar  glided  slow; 
By  night,  Arabia's  crimsoned  sands 

Returned  the  fiery  column's  glow. 

There  rose  the  choral  hymn  of  praise. 

And   trump   and    timbrel    answered 
keen; 
And  Zion's  daughters  poured  their  lays 

With    priest's    and    warrior's   voice 
between. 
No  portents  now  our  foes  amaze, 

Forsaken  Israel  wanders  lone. 
Our  fathers  would  not  know  Thy  ways, 

And  Thou  hast  left  them  to  their  own. 


Israel  and  Judah  are  terms  used  to  desig- 
nate the  Jewish  people. 

Timbrel — An  ancient  Hebrew  drum. 

ZioN — A  hill  in  Jerusalem  ;  a  figurative 
term  for  Jerusalem. 


Portents — Omens  of  coming  ill. 
Censer— A  vessel  in  which  incense  is  burned. 
Babel's  Stream — The  river  Euphrates,  on 
which  Babylon  was  situated. 


DISINTE  RESTEDNESS. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  there  lived  in  Prague  the  cel- 
ebrated Rabbi,  Serach  Eidlitz,  a  man  of  profound  learning  and  gTeat 
capacity,  renowned  not  only  on  account  of  his  vast  knowledge  of 
Hebrew  lore,  but  also  owing  to  his  mathematical  talent,  of  which  his 
work  on  arithmetic  gives  ample  proof.     According  to  the  custom 


30  SCHOOL  AXD  FAMILY  READER 

then  prevailing-,  he  divided  bis  time  iu  study  and  teaching',  whilst  his 
wife,  by  means  of  a  few  wares,  tried  to  procure  the  necessaries  of  life 
for  their  modest  householfl.  Eidhtz  knew  well  the  many  resources 
which,  b}'  his  talents,  were  placed  at  his  disposal;  but  he  always  de- 
clined ever}-  recompense,  because  he  thought  it  incompatible  with 
the  words  of  our  sages:  "Who  thus mis^^ses what  he  has  found,  shall 
be  rejected."  However,  in  course  of  time,  the  circumstances  of  this 
learned  man  became  more  and  more  distressing,  so  that  he  was  often 
obliged  to  deny  himself  even  the  common  necessaries  of  life.  Never- 
theless, he  persevered,  and  sought  to  hide  his  poverty,  being-  afraid,  in 
case  it  became  known,  it  might  appear  as  if  he  were  asking  for  assist- 
ance. About  this  time,  he  received  one  day  a  visit  from  an  old  friend, 
the  Rabbi  Israel  Fraenkel,  President  of  the  congregation,  to  whom,  in 
course  of  conversation,  Eidlitz,  in  confidence,  disclosed  the  true  state  of 
his  affairs.  At  their  next  interview,  Fraenkel,  in  the  most  tender  man- 
ner, made  Eidlitz  an  offer  in  money,  which  he,  however,  refused  at 
once.  "Well,"  replied  Fraenkel,  "you  know  that  God  has  blessed 
me  with  riches,  and  that,  on  account  of  my  temporal  occupations,  I 
cannot  find  sufficient  time,  which,  necessarily,  the  study  of  the  law 
requires.  If  you  then  absolutely  refuse  this  trifle,  I  shaU  certainly 
say  that  you  do  it  merely  to  deprive  me  in  respect  to  my  deed  of  my 
share  of  salvation  in  the  world  to  come."  This  remark  had  the 
desired  eftect,  and  out  of  respect  for  his  friend  Eidlitz  took  the  gift. 
Thus  time  passed  on,  the  two  friends  often  met,  but,  as  may  easily  be 
supposed,  the  matter  was  never  broached.  After  a  few  years  Eidlitz 
took  ill,  and  soon  died.  Fraenkel,  in  virtue  of  his  official  capacity, 
then  went  to  the  house  of  the  deceased,  in  order  to  take  an  inventory 
of  his  possessions.  This  was  certainly  a  mere  formal  proceeding,  for 
he  well  knew  how  poor  Eidlitz  died.  In  his  study  he  found  a  large 
chest  filled  with  MSS.  and  other  things  of  some  value  to  the  late 
owner,  for  he  would  never  intiust  the  key  to  anybod}'  during  life- 
time. But  what  was  Fraenkel's  astonishment,  when  he  found  also 
among  the  contents  of  the  chest,  a  small,  round,  hard  parcel,  care- 
fully wrap2^ed  up  and  sealed,  and  which,  on  opening,  contained  a 
bag  of  money  having  a  ticket  attached,  on  which  stood  the  words: 
"Deposited  by  my  fi'iend.  the  Kabbi  Israel  Fraenkel!" 

A  similar  case  is  related  of  the  well-known  Rabbi  Herz  Scheier,  of 
Mainz,  who  died  in  1824,  and,  according  as  set  forth  in  the  Talmud, 
adhered  strictly  and  conscientiously  to  the  precept  that  Jewish  Min- 
isters and  men  of  learning-  should  always  act  disinterestedly  toward 
their  congregations,  whose  welfare  they  ought  to  seek  on  all  occa- 
sions. He  was  placed  in  affluent  circumstances  and  therefore 
declined  to  take  the  iisual  salary,  which  the  congregation  offered 
him;  but  in  course  of  time  his  wealth  dwindled  away,  and  he  became 
reduced  to  that  extent  that  he  was  compelled  to  accept  a  yearly  sal- 
ary of  1,000  florins.     Dvuring  eight  years  he  continued  to  do  so,  but 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  31 

after  that  time  an  outstanding  debt,  whi(di  he  had  ah'eady  g-iven  up 
for  lost,  was  unexpectedly  paid  him,  and  the  first  thing  the  good  and 
pious  Rabbi  did  with  the  10,000  florins  thus  received  was  the  repay- 
ment of  the  8,000  florins  which  he  had  di-awn  from  the  congregation 
the  last  eight  years.  H.  A. 


Incompatible — Inconsistent      with       some-  I      Conscientiousl's:  —  Scrupiilous,       exactly 
thing  else.  just. 

Salvation — Preservation  from  eternal  death.  |      Disinterestedly — Indifference  to  profit. 


MODESTY  OF  OUR  SAGES. 

Once  upon  a  time  R.  Ganiliel  and  R.  Joshua  Avent  to  sea;  the 
former  providing  himself  with  biscuits,  whilst  the  latter  took  also  in 
addition  a  large  quantity  of  flour  with  him.  Being  questioned 
as  to  the  reason  of  providing  himself  with  such  a  quantity  of  pro- 
visions, R.  Joshua  answered:  "There  is  a  star  which  apj)ears  on 
the  horizon  only  once  in  seventy  years;  he  misleads  the  sailor,  and 
the  time  of  his  appearance  is  just  now  due."  Astonished  at  the 
astronomical  knowledge  of  R.  Joshua,  R.  Gamliel  inquired:  "  How  is 
it  that  being  possessed  of  such  vast  learning,  you  are  nevertheless 
compelled  to  seek  for  a  livelihood  upon  these  dangerous  paths?" 
"  You  feel  surprised  at  my  circumstances,"  replied  R.  Joshua;  "you 
had  better  express  your  astonishment  at  the  two  learned  men  on 
the  Continent,  R.  Elieser,  son  of  Chasma,  and  R.  Jochanan,  son  of 
Godgada,  who  are  capable  of  calculating  every  droj)  the  ocean 
contains,  and  j'et  they  have  hardly  sufficient  of  the  common  neces- 
saries of  life."  When  afterwards  the  Nassi  R.  Gamliel  sent  for  these 
two  learned  men,  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  their  temporal  wants  by 
investing  them  with  office,  both  of  them  declined  the  kind  oiier. 
R.  Gamliel  had  to  send  a  message  a  second  time  accompanied  by 
these  words:  "Do  not  believe  that  I  bestow^  upon  you  dominion; 
no  such  thing,  for  I  merely  impose  upon  you  a  task."  Whether, 
they  compHed  with  the  second  call  the  Talmud  does  not  state. 

Talmud. 

KING  SANHERIB  BEFORE  JERUSALEM. 

The  general  stood  quietly  viewing  his    There  he  stood,  and  whilst  he  thus  was 
men,  j  speaking. 

In  great  numbers  encamped  around  him    His  army  round  was  sleeping  and  dream- 
then,  ing. 

"  To-morrow,  to-morrow  we  penetrate    '  They  were  sleeping  and  dreaming  that 

Like  a  raging  sea  ev'ry  city  gate.  same  night, 

Like  hungry  wolves  and  tigers    resem-    Of  victory  and  booty  in  bloody  fight, 
bling,  '  But  as  soon  as  morn  began  to  appear. 

Destroy  the  people  already  trembling.     '  The  angel  had  destroy'd  his  army  clear. 

Yes,  to-morrow,  to-tnorrow  is  the  day,    i  Sanherib  alone  stood  amidst  the  death. 

When    gladness    will    meet    me    every  i  And  in  dread  from  the  holy  land  he 
way."  1  fled.  Kosarski. 


33  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  BIBLE. 

After  the  light,  /.  e.,  the  life  of  the  universal  soul,  God  created 
the  fii'mament  with  its  constellations,  determined  the  limits  of  the 
sea,  covered  the  eaiih  with  vegetation,  with  plants,  trees,  flowers, 
iruits,  and  aU  the  treasures,  and  all  that  is  magnificent;  peoijled 
j)lain  and  mountain,  forest,  air,  and  ocean,  with  innumerable  and 
various  creatures  destined  to  noimsh,  to  serve,  to  charm  a  being 
that  was  to  come  at  the  end  and  who  was  to  be  the  masteri^iece  of 
the  Creator  and  the  king  of  creation — man. 

Like  a  mother  fuU  of  aflfection  and  tenderness,  who  uses  all  her 
solicitude  and  aU  her  heart  to  trim  vip  the  cradle,  to  prepare  with 
angel's  kisses  the  nourishment,  the  garments,  and  all  the  necessaries 
of  the  body  and  soul,  of  the  child  that  is  to  be  born,  so  did  the 
Deity  make  touching  and  splendid  preparations  to  receive  the  son  of 
His  love,  and  offer  Him  at  His  birth  all  eartlily  good,  all  haj^piness, 
all  felicity.  The  sun  and  the  stars  should  shine  in  all  their  celestial 
brilliancy,  the  birds  chant  their  sublime  canticles,  the  flowers  exhale 
their  divine  fragrances,  the  ocean  vibrate  its  waves  and  expand  its 
grandeur;  the  valley  and  the  hills  cover  themselves  with  crops,  with 
flocks,  and  untold  blessings;  all  nature  should  sing  and  smile,  j)ut 
on  its  holiday  raiment,  and  prepare  its  feasts;  all  should  be  harmony, 
light  and  charm.  Paradise  shoidd  be  ornamented  with  all  the 
sjDlendors  of  heaven,  when  the  child  of  the  Eternal — Adam— should 
make  his  entry  into  the  Avorld. 

The  manner  in  which  the  creation  of  the  world  is  narrated  by  the 
Bible — with  a  simplicity  so  full  of  grandeur — shows  the  in'odigious, 
all-powerfulness  of  the  Most  High,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
divinesource  of  that  Book. 

"  Why,"  says  a  Midrash,  "has  the  Lord  on  the  third  day  created 
the  plants,  the  trees,  the  fruits,  and  the  luminaries  on  the  fourth 
day  ?"  It  was  in  order  to  manifest  His  supreme  j^ower  in  fertilizing 
the  earth  without  the  heat  of  the  sun.  If  creation  were  the  result 
of  natural  phenomena  and  the  Scriptures  the  w-ork  of  man,  the 
author  would  apparently  have  created  the  sun  before  the  products 
of  the  soil. 

Legend  says :  "  That  two  great  luminaries  shall  reign  in  the 
firmament"  had  been  decided  by  the  Almighty.  Then  appeared 
the  sun  in  all  his  magnificent  beauty,  his  liglat  an  ocean  of  fire;  his 
heat  sending  forth  life  and  happiness;  aU  his  being  imposing  and 
majestic. 

At  his  side  was  the  moon,  his  equal  in  beauty.  She  became  angry 
at  the  splendor  of  the  sun — she  wanted  to  be  the  greatest  of  the 
luminaries;  the  gTeatness  of  others  ravished  her  of  her  happiness 
and  made  her  pine  with  grief.  The  Deity  w^as  wroth,  because  of 
the  culpable  jealousy  of  the  moon.  His  voice  of  thunder  was  heard 
in  the  vast  space  of  the  universe. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  33 

"  The  one  Avho  is  not  contented  with  what  is  great,  and  looks 
Avith  envy  on  that  which  is  still  greater,  must  return  to  what  is  com- 
mon. Let  the  greatness  of  the  moon  disappear,  her  size  diminish; 
her  light  shall  henceforth  be  pale  and  weak,  like  an  eternal  stigma 
of  envy.  The  one  who  would  not  share  her  brilliancy  and  magnifi- 
cence with  another  shall  henceforth  be  subordinated  to  others,  con- 
demned to  feel  forever  her  decrease  and  punishment,"  God  said:  and 
it  was  so. 

"  Oh !  pardon,  forgiveness,"  sighed  the  moon,  trembling.  "  The 
jealous  only  can  obtain  forgiveness."  said  the  Lord  with  gracious- 
ness,  "  in  doing  good."  The  moon  accepted  the  advice.  Since  then 
she  travels  during  night  over  the  universe,  consoling  the  unfortu- 
nate, a  sweet  comjoanion  to  the  lonely  wanderer,  a  guide  to  the  one 
who  goes  astray,  a  faithful  friend  to  all  those  who  are  afflicted  or  in 
despair— a  ray  of  hope  and  mercy,  penetrating  into  prisons,  or  shin- 
ing upon  the  couch  of  suifering.  ^  - 

When  everything  was  ready,  achieved,  accomplished,  God  said 
to  the  angels*:  "Let  us  make  a  being  that*  resembles  us."  Then 
before  the  Divine  Majesty  ajDpeared  respectfully.  Justice,  who  im- 
plored: "Sovereign  Judge  of  the  World,  create  not  man,  for  injus- 
tice marks  out  his  footsteps.  Without  pity  for  his  fellows,  he  drives 
the  widow  out  of  her  house,  the  orphan  from  his  hereditary  asylum; 
he  robs  his  brother  with  barbarous  hand  of  his  own;  even  the  most 
foi-tunate  and  noble  kings  and  princes  do  not  spare  the  property  of 
their  subjects,  which  they  have  acquired  through  hard  toil  and  sav- 
ing "  "No;  create  him  not,"  prays  the  amiable  and  sweet  Peace. 
"The  one  whom  thou  wilt  cause  to  be  born  rejects  concord  and  love; 
hatred  and  quarrel  walk  at  his  side;  I  can  see  nations  and  empires 
drowned  in  blood;  father  and  son  differ  in  their  belief;  husband 
and  wife  mar  the  harmony  of  their  house,  forgetting  in  vain  frivol- 
ities the  most  precious  gifts  of  life — love  and  union." 

"And  falsehood,"  added  Truth,  "is  his  character;  falsehood  in 
the  house  of  God,  falsehood  in  the  domestic  hearth,  falsehood  in 
the  temple  of  justice,  falsehood  in  the  life  of  the  individual,  false- 
hood in  the  life  of  the  masses." 

And  so  on  they  spoke.  Then  appeared  the  most  gracious  angel 
of  the  Creator,  Mekcy,  with  his  sweet  and  affable  features,  and  kneel- 
ing down,  he  said:  "  Pray,  Father,  create  him.  I  will  be  his  guide, 
his  companion,  his  organ.  If  passion  and  error  draw  him  on  to 
evil,  I  shall  bear  him  back  into  the  right  way,  refresh  his  dovmcast 
heart,  revive  his  courage,  bring  him  back  to  his  God,  helj)  him  to 
struggle  against  his  downfall,  elevate  and  ennoble  him."    ' 

The  good  Lord  listened  to  the  tender  supjilications  of  his  dear 
angel.    Man  was  called  into  existence — a  being  full  of  sinfulness. 


*We  have  no  knowledge  of  the  angels.    The  plural  is  used,  because  both  the   divine   and 
Ijhysical  nfitures  were  united  in  man. 


34 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


needing  forever  his  guardian  angel,  who  shall  always,  from  the  hour 
of  his  birth  to  that  of  his  death,  accompany  him,  guide  him,  sustain 
him.  Angel  of  Mersy,  our  dearest  companion  from  the  cradle  to 
the  grave,  infallible  and  indispensable  friend  at  all  hours  of  our 
existence,  Ave  greet  thee !  Mayest  thou  never  forsake  us !  Man  was 
not  created  like  the  rest  of  creation  by  a  simj)le  word  of  God,  or  the 
sole  manifestation  of  His  will,  but  with  the  dust  of  the  earth  ( Oafer- 
m  in  Hoadomoh ) . 

This  humble  origin,  forever  recalled  in  the  name  of  Adam,  was 
to  banish  from  society  all  pride,  all  inequality,  all  pretension  to  a 
superiority  of  birth  or  caste,  all  unjust  domineering  of  the  one  over 
the  other.  "  Consider  from  whence  thou  comest,  and  whither  thou 
goest,  and  in  whose  presence  thou  must  in  futurity  render  an 
account  in  judgment,  and  thou  wUt  not  sin." — Ahoth  in  :  1. 
B.  J.  Ch. 


Canticle— A  song  of  Solomoa. 
Oafeb  min  Hoadomoh  (Hebrew)— Dust  from 
the  earth. 
Constellation — A  cluster  of  stars. 
Solicitude  -Anxiety, 
Felicity — Happiness. 


Phenomenon — An3'thing  striking  by  a  new 
appearance. 
Luminary  -Any  body  that  give?  light 
Stigma — A  mark  of  infamy. 
Hereditary— Descan ding  by  inheritance. 
Infallible- Incapible  of  mistake. 


The  Lord  is  my  light :  my  salvation  is 

He, 

Of  whom  shall  my  soul  be  afraid  ? 

The  Lord  is  the  fortress  and  shield  of 

my  life, 

Of  whom  shall  I  entertain  dread  ? 


PSALM  XXVII. 

His  temple  the  shrine  of  my  heart; 
Oh  !  how  can  I  pour  out  my  praises  to 

Him 
Whose  mercy  will  never  depart. 


When  workers  of  evil  draw  near  to  my 
side, 
When  my  foes  form  'round  me  a  wall, 
The  hand  of  my  God  doeth  battle  for 
me. 
The  wicked  ones  stumble  and  fall. 

If  an  army  itself  should  array  'gainst 
me, 
My  heart  would  acknowledge  no  fear; 
If  bloodshed  should  threaten  my  peace- 
ful pursuits,  I 
God's  presence  would  always  be  near.  ' 

One  thing  that  I've  asked  of  the  Lord, 
will  I  seek, 
It  is,  that  I  ever  may  dwell  I 

In    His,    house,    whose    loveliness    far 
exceeds  all  ' 

That  the  voice  of  mortal  can  tell.         I 

His  pavilion  is  e'er  my  refuge  from  sin,  ■ 

Shbine — A  case  in  which  something  sacred 
is  deposited.  | 


Hear,    Lord,   when   my    voice    calleth 
loudly  to  Thee, 
Be  gracious  and  answer  my  prayer; 
Thou,  who  art  the  source  of  all  help  and 
support. 
Wilt  not  give  me  up  to  de.spair. 

My  father  and  mother  no  more  lavish 
love 

On  the  child  once  guarded  with  care; 
But  solitude  bringeth  no  sorrow  to  me, 

For  the  Lord  is  my  portion  and  share. 

Lord,  show  me  the  path  on  which  I 
must  go. 

Let  my  way  be  even  and  straight; 
Oh  !  do  not  resign  me  to  doers  of  wrong. 

Who  are  ruled  by  malice  and  hate. 

Ye  people  of  Israel,  wait  on  the  Lord, 
Be  strong  and  courageous  in  right; 

Pray  fervently  in  His  ineffable  name, 
And   your  souls  shall  be  bathed  in 

light.  J.  M. 

Ineffable — Unspeakable. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  35 

AMBITION. 

Alexander  the  Great,  in  bis  travels  amidst  deserts  and  barren 
lands,  came  at  last  to  a  river,  which  flowed  between  two  verdant 
shores.  The  surface  of  the  water  was  quite  smooth,  and  not  the 
slightest  breeze  was  perceptible.  It  was  the  picture  of  content- 
ment, and  silently  seemed  to  say:  Behold  here  the  seat  of  peace 
and  qaietness  'Chousands  of  haj)]3y  thoughts  this  beautiful  scenery 
might  have  produced  in  a  contemj)lating  mind;  Imt  how  could  it 
have  soothed  Alexander,  who  was  full  of  ambitious  plans,  whose 
ear  had  become  accustomed  to  the  clashing  of  arms,  and  the  groans 
of  the  dying  warrior?  Alexander  continued  his  journey,  but  he 
soon  felt  exhausted,  and  was  obliged  to  seek  for  rest.  lie  fixed  his 
tent  on  the  shores  of  a  river,  drank  some  water  thereof,  which 
seemed  to  him  very  refreshing,  being  of  a  sweet  and  agreeable 
taste,  and  even  spread  a  sweet  fragrance  all  over  the  j)lace.  "  Surely," 
he  said,  "this  river,  enj:)ying  such  jDeculiar  advantages,  must  take 
its  source  in  a  country  rich  in  blessings.  Let  us  find  out  w^here  it 
springs  from."  Following  thus  for  some  time  the  shores  of  the 
river,  he  at  length  arrived  at  the  gates  of  Paradise.  These  were 
closed,  and  he  knocked,  demanding  in  his  usual  peremptory  man- 
ner to  be  admitted  at  once. 

"  Thou  canst  not  have  admission  here,"  a  voice  from  within  called 
unto  him ;  "  this  is  the  gate  of  the  Master."  "  I  am  the  Master,  Lord 
of  the  whole  earth,"  replied  the  impatient  monarch.  "  I  am  Alex- 
ander, the  Conqueror;  what!  do  you  hesitate  to  admit  me?"  "No," 
he  was  answered,  "here  no  conqueror  is  known  but  he  who  con- 
quers his  passions;  the  just  only  are  allowed  to  enter  here."  (Ps. 
cxviii:  20.) 

Alexander  tried  hard  to  gain  admittance,  but  neither  threats  nor 
entreaties  had  any  effect.  He  then  said  to  the  keeper  who  held 
watch  at  the  gates  of  Paradise,  "  You  know  that  I  am  a  great  king, 
who  has  received  the  homage  of  many  nations;  if  you  really  re f vise 
to  admit  me,  give  me  at  least  some  kind  of  a  keepsake,  in  order 
that  I  may  surprise  the  world  in  showing  that  I  have  been  as  far  as 
this,  the  i^lace  which  no  mere  mortal  ever  reaches." 

"  Here,  silly  man,"  repHed  the  keeper,  "  here  I  give  you  some- 
thing which  can  heal  all  sorrows.  Moreover,  one  glance  at  it  will 
teach  you  wisdom,  such  as  you  have  never  thought  to  be  master  of ! 
Now,  go  your  way." 

Alexander  took  hastily  what  was  given  him  and  then  returned  to 
his  tent.  But  how  astonished  did  he  feel,  when  he  perceived  that 
his  present  was  nothing  but  part  of  a  human  skull.  "  This,  then,  is 
that  nice  keepsake,"  he  said,  "which  they  offer  to  a  king  and  a  hero 
like  me  !  This,  then,  is  the  fruit  of  all  my  labor,  all  the  dangers  and 
troubles  I  have  hitherto  undergone  ?"  Enraged,  and  disappointed 
in  his  hopes,  he  threw  away  the  miserable  portion  of  the  mortal 


36 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


integumeut.  "Great  king,"  said  a  wise  man,  who  noticed  the  act, 
'■'  do  not  despise  this  present,  however  insignificant  it  may  appear 
in  your  eyes;  it  possesses,  nevertheless,  extraordinary  qualities,  of 
which  you  may  soon  convince  yourself  by  weighing  it  with  gold  or 
.silver."  Alexander  said  he  should  like  to  try,  and,  ordering  a  pair 
of  scales,  placed  the  skull  in  one  and  the  gold  in  the  other.  He  was 
immediately  surjDrised  to  find  the  one  containing  the  skixU.  going 
down.  More  gold  was  fetched,  and  the  more  they  put  on  the  scale, 
the  more  it  went  up.  "It  is  extraordinary,"  said  Alexander,  "that 
such  a  small  portion  of  matter  should  vanquish  so  much  gold.  Is 
there  no  counterbalance  to  be  had,  in  order  to  produce  an  equi- 
hbrium  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  wise  man,  "very  little  will  suffice."  Where- 
upon he  took  a  small  portion  of  earth  and  covered  the  bone  with  it, 
which  caused  the  scale  in  which  it  lay  to  rise  immediately.  "  This 
is  certainly  very  singular  !"  Alexander  now  exclaimed  ;  "  could  you 
not  explain  to  me  this  remarkable  lihenomenon?"'  "Great  king!" 
replied  the  wise  man,  "  this  fr-agment  of  a  bone  is  the  part  in  which 
the  human  eye  is  inclosed,  and,  although  in  its  extent  limited,  it  is 
nevertheless  unlimited  in  its  desires ;  the  more  it  has,  the  more  it 
wants;  neither  gold  nor  silver,  nor  any  earthly  possession,  is  able  to 
satiate  its  wishes.  But  being  once  placed  in  the  grave  and  covered 
with  earth,  there  it  finds  a  limit  for  all  its  eager  desires." 
Talmud. 

Alexander   the  Geeat  was  King  of  Ma-  I      Cotjnterbalance — To  act  against  with  an 
cedonia,  3656  A.  M.  |  opposite  weight. 

Integument — Anything  that  covers  or  en-        Equilibrium — Equally  of  weight, 
velops  another. 


THE  SON  OF  SOREOW. 


Near  the  wild  waves'  lonely  strand 
Sate  Sorrow  once,  from  heaven  bann'd,  \ 
And   with  her    hands,    in   thoughtless  i 

play, 
A  human  figure  formed  of  clay.  , 

Zeus  came  and  asked,  "  What's  this,  I  i 
pray?"  [ 

"  'Tis  but  a  lifeless  shape  of  clay;  ! 

Oh!  grant  my  wish — with  power  divine 
Breathe  life  into  this  image  mine." 

"  So  let  it  be;  but  then  he's  mine 
By  virtue  of  my  craft  divine." 
"  No,  no,"  responded  Sorrow,  sad, 
"  He  is  my  own,  my  chosen  lad. 

"Twas  I   who  formed   him   of    this 

earth." 
"  But 'twas  my  breath  that  gave  him 

birth." 


Then  outspake  Earth,   "  1  have  a  claim 
Upon  this  being  of  sin  and  shame. 

"  From  out  my  bosom  torn  he  came, 
And  I  my  rights  must  back  reclaim." 
"  Saturn,"  said  Zeus,  "  shall  judge  the' 

case, 
We'll  plead   before  him  face  to  face." 

The   judgment  was,  "  Let   none  com- 
plain. 
All  three  shall  property  retain. 
Zeus  gave  him  life  !  so,  when  he  dies, 
His  soul  shall  mount  beyond  the  skies. 

"  When  soul's  forever  hushed  in  sleep,. 
His  frame,  0  Earth,  is  thine  to  keep. 
But  thine,  0  Sorrow,  all  his  days 
Of  life  to  walk  within  thy  ways. 

"  And  while  his  feet  on  earth  delay 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  37 

Thou  shall  be  with  him  every  day;  I  That  while   runs    out  Time's    fleeting 

Thy  saddening  sighs  his  breath  shall  be,  j  sand, 

His  face  a  counterpart  of  thee.''  j  In  life  man  is  to  sorrow  given, 

I  In  death  to  earth — his  soul  to  heaven  ! 
So  spake  the    Almighty's   dread   com- 
mand, 1  H.  Phillips,  Jr. 

Zeus,  Saturn — Planets  worshiped  by  the  Romans  and  Greeks. 


KESIGNATION. 

It  was  toward  evening  on  a  Sabbath  day,  and  Rabbi  Meir  had 
been  occupied  for  some  hom*s  in  the  academy,  where  he  expounded 
the  holy  law  to  his  numerous  pupils,  rejoicing  in  the  study  of  the  law 
and  the  religious  attention  with  which  his  words  were  received. 

In  the  meantime  his  house  had,  in  a  very  short  period,  become  a 
house  of  grief,  for  his  two  hopeful  sons  had  suddenly  died.  Only 
the  mother  was  at  home  and  left  to  herself  with  the  two  coi-pses. 
Unhappy  woman  !  Overcome  with  grief,  she  looked  motionless  upon 
the  two  beloved  faces,  whether  she  could  yet  discover  a  sjjark  of  life 
in  them,  and,  bent  from  sorrow,  she  also  thought  of  her  poor  husband, 
who,  in  a  few  moments,  would  behold  this  awful  spectacle. 

But  in  deference  to  an  all-wise  Providence,  and  out  of  love  to  her 
husband,  she  seemed  to  feel  wonderfully  strong  in  her  unfortunate 
position.  With  maternal  hands  she  spread  a  pall  over  the  bed 
where  her  beloved  sons  were  lying,  and  then  went  in  the  ante-room 
to  await  her  husband. 

It  was  already  night  when  her  learned  husband  returned  home, 
and  after  he  had  put  his  foot  into  the  room,  he  said,  "And  the  sons '?" 
"  They  may  have  remained  at  the  academy,"  answered  the  mother,  in 
a  weak  and  trembling  voice,  and  turning  her  eyes  toward  Heaven, 
to  avoid  the  looks  of  her  husband. 

"It  seemed  to  me  I  did  not  behold  them  among  the  pupils."  The 
wife  did  not  answer,  while  she  handed  to  him  the  wine  and  the  wax 
taper,  in  order  to  implore  the  Divine  blessing  for  the  week  to  come. 

The  Rabbi  finished  the  religious  act,  and  with  increasing  anxiety 
he  inquired:  "  But  the  children,  dear  wife  ?" 

"  They  are  perhaps  taking  a  walk,"  answered  his  wife,  and  in  the 
meantime  she  placed  some  bread  before  her  husband,  who  had  been 
without  food  for  some  time. 

The  Rabbi  ate  a  smaU  piece,  and  after  thanking  the  Almighty  for 
all  earthly  gifts,  he  called  out  :  "  How  long  do  our  sons  stay  away 
this  evening !  But  don't  you  know  anything  more  particular  con- 
cerning them,  dear  wife '?  And  why  do  you  appear  so  clown-heai-ted  ?" 
"  Because,  my  dear  husband,  I  have  to  ask  your  kind  advice.  Listen, 
dear  ;  the  day  before  yesterday  came  a  friend,  and  gave  me  some 
costly  jewels  to  keep  for  him,  and  now  he  has  returned  and  demands 
them  of  me  back  again.     Alas  !  (she  said,  weeping)  I  did  not  expect 


38     ■  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

to  see  him  so  soon.  Should  I  return  him  his  property  ?"  "  My  dear 
wife,  this  doubt  is  sinful."  "But  I  liked  these  jewels  so  well!" 
"They  don't  belong  to  you."  "They  were  so  dear  to  me!  perhaps 
even  to  you,  sir."  "My  wife!"  cried  the  Rabbi,  perj)lexed,  who  now 
began  to  suspect  something  extraordinary  and  fearful ;  "  what  doubt, 
what  thoughts !  to  keep  back  goods  intrusted  to  you — a  holy  cause !" 
"  It  is  ti*ue,"  answered  the  wife,  with  tears,  "  but  it  is  necessary  that 
you  should  assist  me  in  returning  them.  Come  and  look  at  the 
intrusted  jewels." 

And  with  hands  benumbed  she  took  the  hands  of  the  confused 
husband,  led  him  into  the  room,  and  lifted  the  pall.  "  Beholdhere  the 
jewels  ;  God  has  demanded  them."  At  this  sight,  the  poor  father 
began  to  shed  tears  of  sorrow,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  my  children! 
ray  children  !  Sweetness  of  my  existence  !  Light  of  raj  eyes !  Oh, 
my  children  !"  "  My  husband,  have  you  not  told  me  that  we  are 
obliged  to  return  what  has  been  given  in  trust  to  us,  if  the  owner 
demands  it  back?" 

With  eyes  dim  from  tears  she  looked,  motionless,  into  the  Rabbi's 
countenance,  who  was  overcome  with  astonishment  at  her  unsj)eak- 
able  tenderness.  "  Oh,  my  God  !"  said  he,  "  dare  I  murmur  against 
Thy  will  ?  Thou  hast  given  me  a  religious  and  blessed  woman  for  a 
wife." 

And  the  unhappy  couple  threw  themselves  down  upon  their  faces 
and  began  to  pray  and  lament  by  repeating  the  sacred  words  of  Job: 
"  God  has  given  it  and  God  has  taken  it  again  :  the  name  of  God  be 
praised  forever."  Taliniud. 


Deference — Submission,  regard. 


OUR  PROMISES. 

Rabbi  Akiba  Ben  Joseph  and  some  of  his  disciples  were  passing 
the  ruins  of  the  holy  Temple,  when  a  jackal  came  out  from  the  place 
where  the  Holy  of  Holies  formerly  stood,  and  where  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  had  throned  over  the  Cherubim.  His  companions  began  bit- 
terly to  weep  at  the  sight,  while  the  Rabbi  burst  out  into  joyful  ex- 
clamations. His  astonished  disciples  exclaimed,  "  Rabbi,  why  dost 
thou  laugh  ?"  "  Why  do  you  weep  ?"  was  his  reply.  "  How  can  we 
refrain  from  weeping?"  answered  they,  "when  we  see  the  glorious 
and  holy  Temj^le  of  the  Lord  in  ashes,  the  idolatrous  heathen  lording 
over  the  ruins,  and  that  most  sacred  spot  Avhere  the  Lord  of  "the  uni- 
verse deigned  visibly  to  dwell— that  spot  is  now  the  abode  of  unclean 
animals  ?  How  is  it  possible  that  the  eyes  which  see  this  destruction 
and  desecration — caused  by  our  sins  and  those  of  ovir  ancestors — 
should  abstain  from  shedding  abundant  tears,  or  the  oppressed  bosom 
fi'om  giving  vent  to  its  poignant  grief?"  "Aye,"  said  the  Rabbi, 
"the   prophet   said:    'The   mountain  of   Zion  is   desolate;  jackals 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


39 


dwell  upon  it  ; '  and  ye  weep  ye  have  seen  this  fearful  denunciation 
fulfilled  ;  but  the  same  prophet  has  likewise  said  :  '  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  behold,  I  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of  Israel's  tents,  and 
have  mercy  on  his  dwelling-places  ;  and  the  city  shall  be  rebuilt  upon 
her  rnins,  and  the  Temi:)le  shall  be  restored  to  its  former  appearance  ; 
and  therefi'om  shall  proceed  thanksgivings  and  the  voice  of  rejoicing  ; 
and  I  will  multiply  them,  and  they  shall  not  be  diminished;  I  will 
glorify  them,  and  they  shall  not  be  humbled.'  "  Taljiud. 


LoRDiKG — Lord,   spoken    in    contempt    or 
ridicule. 
Giving  Vest — To  utter. 


Poignant — Se  v  ere . 
Dendnciation— A  public  menace. 


AT  PASSOVER. 


Lead  me,  0  Lord  !    loud  cries  the  'pris- 
oned sou], 
Out  of  this  aimless  strife; 
[n  which  unseen,  unsought  the  heavenly 
goal, 
1  breathe  imperfect  life, 
In  sordid  atmosphere  of  worldly  care. 
That  bars  the  pathway  to  the  gates 
of  prayer. 

Lead  me,  0  Hand  Divine  !  safe  'raid  the 
shadows 
Of  superstition  wrought; 
Xnd    let    me    find  the  summer's  dew- 
gemmed  meadows 
That  skirt  the  heights  of  thought; 
The  pure,  unclouded  vision  give  to  me, 
Blest  with  the  gleam  cf  immortality. 


Lead 


of 


me    afar   from   whisperings 
temptarion. 
Born  of  grim  poverty  ! 
Thine  only  be  the  contrite  heart's  ova- 
tion ; 
To  worship  only  Thee, 
The  joyful  choice  of  aspirations  blest 
With  recognition  of  Thy  law's  behest. 

Lead  me,  0  Hand  Divine  !  that  through 
the  ages 
Hast  wandering  Israel  led; 
With  light  illumuied  souls  of  prophets, 
sages, 
Sweet  Freedom's  guidance  shed 
Over  the  darkened  ways,  where  'neath 
the  rod 
Thy  captive  children  raised  the  soul 
of  God ! 


Lead    me,  long  weeping   in    the   exile 
dreary, 

By  the  tempestuous  sea. 
Burdened  with  soul-tasks,  disenchanted, 
weary, 

To  find  my  rest  in  Thee  ! 
Their  names  are  written  proud  and  high 

In  music  and  in  art. 
And  Fame  so  wide  arena  boasts 

Where  they  bear  not  a  part. 

Through  forums  and  through  senate  halls 

Their  silvery  accents  roll. 
And  with  Isaiah's  burning  fire 

Enchant  the  human  soul. 
And  Judah  seems  to  bear  aloft 

Aladdin's  wondrous  lamp, 
While  earth,  responsive,  yields  her  gems 

Where  Judah's  exiles  tramp. 

Although  they  roam  without  a  land — 

From  Salem  darkly  hurled — 
Her  princes  rule,  with  magic  hand. 

The  destinies  of  the  world. 
They  are  a  power  the  nations  feel 

In  every  throbbing  core, 
The  strange  influence  of  that  tribe 

Which  roams  creation  o'er. 

Imperial  race  !  thy  splendors  gilt 

The  glimmering  dawn  of  Time, 
When  Earth  lay  blushing  in  the  arms 

Of  Eden's  golden  prime. 
And  brighter  yet  the  flames  shall  rise 

Where  Salem's  altar  stood — 
Time's  last  gi-eat  act  shall  charm  the 
world 

In  our  Messiah's  word. 

J.  T. 


40  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

THE  FOLLY  OF  DISCONTENT. 

There  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Baruch,  who  possessed  the  treas- 
ures of  India  and  Arabia,  to  whose  riches  there  was  no  end;  whose 
magnificent  surroundings  ministered  to  every  temporal  dehght, 
whose  amiable  wife  and  lovely  children  left  nothing  to  be  desired; 
yet,  in  the  midst  of  aU,  he  was  most  miserable.  His  complaints 
grieved  all  about  him.  He  was  ready  to  destroy  his  own  life  to  be 
rid  of  his  troubles.  Then  he  heard  that  there  was  in  Memphis,  in 
the  land  of  Mizraim,  a  great  prophet,  and  taking  two  camels  and  a 
trusty  servant,  with  much  treasure,  he  started  to  see  the  proj)het 

In  the  desert  through  which  they  had  to  j^ass,  they  lost  their  way; 
and  both  men  and  beasts  were  ready  to  perish  with  thirst.  Then 
Baruch  began  to  appreciate  the  water  that  flowed  in  his  fountain  in 
Damascus,  and  would  have  given  a  camel's  load  of  jewels  for  a  single 
draught.  In  their  search  for  water  the  servant  was  struck  blind; 
yet  he  faltered  not  in  his  devotion  to  his  master. 

Baru.ch  now  felt  himself  to  be  the  cause  of  the  misery  in  his  own 
house,  and  the  misery  of  his  servant,  and  l^ewailed  greatly.  Then 
he  cried  to  God,  saying,  "  Destroy  me,  for  I  am  not  worthy  of  the 
mercy  Thou  hast  shown  me;  and  the  burden  of  my  sins  02:)presses 
my  soul  grievously !"  Then  there  was  a  noise  like  the  rushing  of  a 
brook  from  the  rocks.  The  camel  stretched  out  his  neck,  and  Baruch 
hastened  to  the  place  and  found  a  clear  and  abundant  fountain, 
at  which  they  all,  both  men  and  beasts,  slaked  their  raging  thirst. 
Then  Baruch  praised  the  Lord  for  His  wonderful  mercy  and  good- 
ness. 

When  all  were  refreshed  by  the  fountain,  the  servant  projDOsed  to 
make  ready  to  pursue  the  journey.  But  Baruch  said  he  had  found 
in  the  desert  the  wisdom  he  sought  fi'om  the  prophet  of  AJizraim, 
and  was  now  ready  to  return  home.  Baruch's  wife  and  children 
wondered  at  his  quick  return,  and  wept  for  joy.  Then  Baruch  told 
them  how,  in  the  deseri,  he  had  learned  humility,  and  had  been  en- 
abled to  see  the  grace  of  the  All-Merciful;  and  that  he  now  returned 
to  them  a  new  man,  with  j^eace  in  his  heart  more  precious  than  silver 
or  gold.  Henceforth,  he  walked  meekly  and  cheerfully,  helping  the 
poor,  and  doing  good  in  all  the  country.  H.  A. 

Land  of  Mizbaim— Egypt.  I      Damascus — A  large  city  in  the  western  part 

I  of  Asiatic  Turkey. 


NAHUM  ALL'S  WELL. 


A    TALMTJDIC    LEGEND. 

There  lived  a  holy  man  of  yore,  I  Stone-blind  he  was — he  had  no  feet — 

Whose  praise  I  will  endeavor;  |      His  skin  and  flesh  were  wasted — 

The  Lord  laid  on  him  plagues  full  sore,  i  And  nothing  he  did  drink  or  eat 
Yet  murmur  breathed  he  never.  I      To  him  with  relish  tasted. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


41 


He  said,  "  All's  well,  0  Lord,  ray  God  ! 

Thy  work  is  naught  but  kindness; 
A  blessing  blossoms  from  Thy  rod, 

Thou  sav'st  me  from  soul-blindness. 

*'  The  body  full  of  base  designs, 
Thy  mercy  all  hath  wasted; — 

Eyes  that  had  darted  envious  fires — 
Feet  that  to  mischief  hasted." 

He  thanked  his  God,  however  he  fared, 
No  mishaps  ever  galled  him; 

In  wonder  people  at  him  stared. 
And  Nahum  All's  Well  called  him. 

Once  over  the  land  he  had  to  pass, 

To  help  a  sickly  neighbor; 
He  sat  himself  on  his  she  ass, 

His  crutches  rest  from  labor. 

A  cock  he  also  had  along. 
To  give  him  timely  warning; 

That  he  might  praise  his  God  in  song 
At  earliest  gleam  of  morjiing. 

He  reached  an  inn  at  close  of  day, 
But  shelter  was  denied  him; 

He  lit  a  torch  and  jogged  away, 
Within  a  wood  to  hide  him. 

A  puflE  of  wind  his  torch  out  blew. 
But  this  no  wise  discouraged  him; 

Good   Nahum   said:  "  All's  well — this 
too!" 
And  on  the  ground  he  laid  him. 

A  fox  crept  slowly  up  and  stole 
The  cock  and  quick  retreated; 


"  All  for  the  best !"  thus  in  his  soul 
The  pious  man  repeated. 

A  lion  came,  to  pieces  tore 
The  ass  that  much  he  needed. 

"All's  well!"  said  Nahum,  as  before, 
And  on  his  way  proceeded. 

At  morn  a  tale  of  woe  he  learned; 

Last  night  armed  men  descending 
Had  sacked  the  inn,  and    killed    and 

burned, 
Like  beasts  their  victims  rending. 

"  Now  see,"  said  Nahum,  "  what  good 
care 

The  Lord  for  me  hath  taken; 
All  in  the  dark  to  leave  me  there, 

By  all  I  owned  forsaken. 

"  Wind,  Fox  and  Lion,  each  one  came. 
And  Angels,  to  stand  by  me 

And  guard  my  life — blest  be  His  name  ! 
Thus  harm  did  not  come  nigh  me. 

"If  at  the  inn  I'd  lodged  at  night, 
A  corpse  they  would  have  made  me, 

And  in  the  wood  the  torch's  hght 
Would  surely  have  betrayed  me. 

"  The  cock's  loud  crow,  the  ass's  bray. 
My  death-knell  would  have  sounded; 

My  God  !  I  own  Thy  wondrous  way, 
Thy  wisdom  is  unbounded." 

Take  pious  Nahum,  dear  young  friend. 
And  make  him  thine  example. 

Then  shale  thou  be  right  in  the  end. 

And  build  up  Zion's  temple. 
J.T. 


GOOD  WORKS. 

Thkee  sorts  of  friends  man  j^ossesses  in  this  world,  namely:  his 
children,  his  wealth,  and  his  good  works. 

When  the  hour  of  dissolution  is  at  hand,  man  in  the  agonies  of 
death  calls  his  children  and  grandchildren  to  his  bed  and  says:  "  Oh, 
can  you  not  mitigate  my  sufferings  and  save  me  from  the  pangs  of 
death  ?" 

And  the  afflicted  children  answer:  "Thou  knowest,  dear  father, 
that  nothing  can  prevail  against  death;  neither  children  nor  rela- 
tives, nor  friends  are  able  to  redeem  man  from  death."  The  Divine 
word  has  gone  forth  (Dan.  xii:  13):  "Go,  sleep  in  peace,  and  pre- 
pare thyself  for  the  day  of  judgment."  Then  the  dying  man  thinks 
of  his  wealth  and  calls  it  to  his  assistance.     "  Oh,  save  me  from  that 


42  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

terrible  sentence  of  death."  And  his  wealth  answers  him:  "Gold 
and  jewels  are  powerless  in  the  hour  of  God's  wrath;  the  Divine 
word  has  proclaimed  it."  (IVJishle  xi:  4.) 

Whereupon  the  djdng  man  calls  his  good  works  and  says  to  them : 
"  Oh!  save  me  fi-om  the  horrors  of  the  pains  of  death;  leave  me  not 
to  myself;  come,  accompany  me  and  save  me,  for  I  was  always  your 
friend." 

And  the  good  works  answer:  "Depart  in  peace,  dear  friend!  Even 
before  you  arrive  there  for  judgment,  we  will  already  have  reached 
that  place,"  for  the  Divine  word  has  gone  forth  to  man:  "Thy  virtue 
precedes  thee  on  the  way,  even  till  heavenly  bliss  receives  thee." — 
Isaiah  Iviii:  8.  Talmud. 


KINDNESS  AND  FORGIVENESS. 

Rabbi  Nechania  was  asked  by  one  of  his  disciples  which  were  the 
virtues  best  to  perform  in  regard  to  a  long  life  granted  unto  him  ? 

The  Rabbi  answered:  "I  never  ventured  to  degrade  my  associates 
for  the  purpose  of  advancing  my  own  honor— a  wrong  done  me 
never  went  to  bed  with  me — with  my  wealth  I  dealt  liberall}'. 

"The  first  I  acquired  from  another  learned  man,  who  one  evening 
returning  from  his  fields  with  a  hatchet  on  his  shoulder,  when  a 
fi'iend  of  his  tried  to  take  it  from  him  in  order  to  carry  it  in  his 
stead.  The  other,  however,  prevented  him,  and  said:  'If  you  are 
used  to  carry  such  implements,  I  am  willing  to  submit  to  it,  but  if 
it  is  not  your  habit  to  do  so,  then  I  do  not  wish  to  procure  any 
honor  at  the  price  of  thy  degradation.' 

"The  second  one  my  friend.  Mar  Sotra,  taught  me,  who  prayed 
every  night  on  going  to  bed:  'My  God,  pardon  all  those  who  have 
done  me  wrong.' 

"  The  third  virtue  I  derived  from  Job,  who,  whenever  he  engaged 
laborers  to  do  some  work  for  him,  increased,  of  his  own  accord,  their 
small  wages,  although  their  pay  had  previously  been  agreed  upon." 

Talmud. 


CHARITY. 

A  LEARNED  man  wandered  one  day  amidst  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem, 
and  a  friend  quietly  followed  him.  On  arriving  at  the  jilace 
where  the  Temple  once  rose  in  its  majestic  splendor,  he  commenced 
shedding  tears  and  calling  aloud:  "  Woe  to  us!  The  Temple  Avhere 
our  sins  were  expiated  is  destroyed !  Woe  to  us !  flow  shall  we 
atone  for  our  sins  ?"  The  friend  who  had  followed  him  said :  "  Do 
not  trouble  about  it,  O  master  !  There  is  yet  one  not  less  powerful 
medium  left  for  expiation;  there  is  still  charity  remaining  to  us." 

Talmud. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  43 

CHARITY. 

Charity  is  like  perfumed  flowers,  j  Charity  is  bounteous  as  the  sea, 

Or  heaven's  manna  sent  on  earth,  The  winds  of  heaven  waft  it  here  and 

Or  Hke  the  dew  of  dripping  shower?,       ,  there; 

Refreshing  nature  and  giving  birth 
To  growths  of  beauty  and    thoughts 

divine. 
To  the  Great  Hereafter  to  bloom  and 
shine. 


It  is  the  honey  in  a  human  bee, 

That    sweetens    grief    and     trouble 
everywhere; 
It  is  the  excelsior,  and  the  soul's  device, 
It  is  God's  essence,  culled  from  Paradise. 

Charity,  stretch  forth  thy  supple  hands. 

Be  just,  yet  generous  in  thy  gift. 
It  will  bear  fruit  for  thee  in  brighter 
lands. 
And  to  a  heavenly  sphere  the  soul 
uplift. 


Charity    is    a    mantle    gemmed    with 
tears. 
Which  wraps   the  donor    in   rays  of 
light. 
And  in  its  ample  folds  appears 

To    gather   misery,  and    make    life 

bright;  j  Where  angels  in  advance   shall   bring 

It  is  a  garment  of  piu-est  snow,  the  deeds. 

It  is  a  diadem  upon  the  brow.  I  Which  to  a  life  of  everlasting  leads. 

Emma  Schiff. 

Diadem— A  tiara;  an  ensign  of  royalty  bound  I      Manna — Food  sent  from  heaven,  to  provide 
about  tlie  head  of  £astern  monarchs.  I  for  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness. 

I      ExcELSicB-  More  lofty;  higher. 

JUDAISM  IN  METAPHOR. 

Countless  are  the  figures  under  which  Judaism  apjDears  in  the 
Bible  and  the  writings  of  the  sages.  Now  it  is  compared  to  water, 
because  it  cleanses  men  from  what  is  animal  and  low,  and  daUs  and 
cools  the  passions  ;  and  now  to  wine,  because  time  cannot  injure  it, 
nay,  it  increases  in  power  with  advancing  age  ;  to  oil,  because  it 
mixes  not  with  foreign  elements,  preserving  ever  its  distinctiveness  ; 
to  honej,  because  it  is  sweet  and  lovely,  free  from  religious  hatred  ; 
to  a  wall,  because  it  protects  its  professors  from  the  violence  of  the 
wicked  ;  to  manna,  because  it  joroclaims  human  equality  before  God, 
and  asserts  His  justice  ;  and  lastly  it  is  compared  to  a  crown,  because 
it  invests  every  son  of  eai*th  with  sovereignty,  and  raises  him  higher 
than  all  nature.  A.  Jellinek. 


Dr.  A.  .Jellinek — An  eminent  Jewish  divine  |  important   worts,   and  a  writer  of  great  re 
and  orator,  minister  of  one  of  the  chief  Con-     pute. 
gregations    in    Vienna;     author    of    several  j*    Metaphor— A  simile  comprised  in  a  word. 

liM PERISHABLE  GOODS. 

A  LEARNED  man  was  once  a  passenger  on  a  vessel  where  there  were 
also  some  great  merchants,  who  carried  their  merchandise  to  a  large 
distant  city.  They  took  the  learned  man  to  be  also  a  man  of  business, 
but  as  they  could  not  obtain  any  clue  as  to  what  kind  of  goods  he 
was  dealing  in,  they  inquired  of  him,  jeeringly,  "  What  part  of  the 
ship  are  your  goods  stored  away,  or  do  they  indeed  recj[uii-e  no  ware- 
housing at  all  ?"     "  Better  by  far,  and  more  valuable,  are  the  goods," 


44 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


replied  the  offended  man,  "  I  carry  with  me,  than  any  you  can  boast 
of."  But  curiosity  prompted  them  to  make  fresh  inquiries,  and  they 
even  went  so  far  as  to  search  every  part  of  the  ship,  but  being  unable 
to  gain  any  information,  they  considered  the  learned  man's  assertion 
to  be  an  untruth,  and  revenged  themselves  by -annoying  him  con- 
tinually. The  vessel,  however,  was  afterward  captured  by  pirates,  who 
possessed  themselves  of  the  whole  of  the  valuable  cargo.  The  pas- 
sengers were  all  sent  on  shore,  and  had  to  travel  to  the  next  town, 
where  they  suffered  great  hardship,  for  no  one  was  willing  to  believe 
their  statement  that  they  had  lost  all  at  the  hands  of  jnrates.  But 
how  did  the  learned  man  fare  ?  He  went  at  once  to  the  chief 
academy  of  the  place,  where  he  delivered  several  discourses,  which, 
being  found  interesting  and  instructive,  caused  him  soon  to  be  taken 
care  of,  and  all  his  wants  were  well  supplied.  Being  a  man  of  great 
talent,  he  became  known  all  over  the  town,  and  all  the  rich  and  in- 
fluential men  bestowed  money  and  presents  on  him,  and  continually 
invited  him  to  their  houses.  In  the  meantime  his  travelling  compan- 
ions, the  merchants,  being  penniless,  had  to  suffer  great  want,  and  in 
hearing  accidentally  of  his  renown,  and  the  success  he  had  hitherto 
met  with,  they  came  to  the  scholar,  related  to  him  what  they  had  to 
suffer  and  iindergo,  and  begged  of  him  to  intercede  for  them  with 
his  rich  friends,  in  order  that  they  might  thus  obtain  some  helj), 
otherwise  they  should  have  to  starve  and  never  be  able  to  get  away 
from  the  place  and  so  reach  their  home.  "  The  loss  of  your  so  much 
praised  goods,"  replies  the  scholai',  "  brings  3"0u  now  to  me,  whom 
you  considered  to  be  Avithout  any  possessions.  A  man  of  tender  feel- 
ing cannot  behold  tears  of  sorrow  without  being  moved  to  compas- 
sion, if  it  is  in  his  power  to  mitigate  the  grief  that  gives  rise  to  theni. 
You  shall  obtain  succor,  but  let  this  misfortune  teach  you  that  it  is 
not  the  quantity  but  the  durability  of  the  goods  which  constitutes  the 
value  thereof,  and  points  to  the  truth  of  the  Solomonic  proverb :  '  A 
good  and  useful  doctrine  I  give  unto  you,  my  instruction,  never  to 
forsake  my  knowledge.'  " 
'  H.  A. 

Pirate — A  sea-robber. 


CHANUKAH. 


We   welcome    thee    joyfully,    glorious 

night; 
We   hail   thee  with   pleasure,  0  Chanu- 

kah  light  ! 
Its  lustre,  so  brilliant,  invites  us  to  joy; 
Invites   us   to  praise   Him,   the    great 

Adonay. 

He  was  our  Redeemer,  and  Helper  in 

woe, 
When  cruelty  pressed  us.  a  merciless  foe, 


Who  sought  to  destroy  our  religion,  so 

dear. 
And  solace  in  danger,  in  trouble  and 

cheer. 

The  faithful  and  pious,  who  died  with- 
out fear, 

Exclaimed  with  their  last  breath,  "Hear, 
Israel,  hear  !" 

So  Hannah,  the  mother,  and  sons  good 
and  true. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  45 

All  sealed    with   their  life-blood  their   Once   more  was  Jerusalem  happy  and 

faithfulness  too.  gay, 

When  .judah   returned   in   triumphant 
But   Israel's  God  never  slumbers  nor  ;  array; 

sleeps;  Then  songs  of  victorious  ioy  and   of 

He  ever  is  near  him,  who  mournfully  '  praise 

weeps.  Arose  from  God's  Temple,  all  brilliant 

He  saw   our  oppression,   and  hearing  ablaze. 

our  pleas, 
Awaked,  to  redeem  us,  the  brave  Mac-    Be  welcome,  then  welcome,  0  glorious 

cabees.  |  "'ght; 

We  hail   thee  with  pleasure,  0  Chanu- 
They  fought  like  true  heroes,  for  God,  kah  light ! 

law  and  land.  Its  lustre,  so  brilliant,  invites  us  to  joy; 

To  victory  leading  their  heroic  band.        Invites   us  to   praise    Him,   the   great 


The  enemy  dreaded  the  name  Maccabee; 
He  perished  or  fled,  and  Judea   was 
free  !  • 


Adonay ! 

Rev.  L.  Stern. 


THE  TWO  STRANGERS. 

Have  you  ever  been  at  Worms,  dear  reader,  and  there  paid  a  visit 
to  the  venerable  synagogue  celebrated  for  its  antiquity  and  archi- 
tecture? There  you  will  have  seen  in  front  of  the  holy  ark  a  lamp, 
from  which  two  flames  throw  their  reflecting  light  upon  the  curtain 
of  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant.  Centuries  have  already  elapsed  into 
the  inexhaustible  realm  of  the  past,  generations  have  entered  and 
left  in  continual  alternation  the  stage  of  life,  but  the  lamp  never  gets 
emj)ty,  nor  do  the  flames  ever  become  extinguished,  and  the  rays  of 
light  always  illumine  the  inner  space  of  this  house  of  God,  as  if  the 
obscurity  of  night  should  never  prevail  in  its  walls,  nor  spiritual 
darkness  ever  penetrate  here  !  And  wh}^  do  those  lights  never  be- 
come extinguished?  Because  the  everlasting  shining  faith  kindles 
them.  Once,  tradition  tells  us,  the  much-hated  quarter  of  the  Jews 
(Judengassej  was  entered  by  a  rabble,  led  by  the  Bishop  of  Worms, 
charging  the  Jews  with  having  poured  water  from  the  roofs  of  their 
houses  upon  the  Bishop  and  the  holy  flags  carried  before  him  in 
procession.  The  noise  and  fury  of  the  rabble,  jwoceeding  from  all 
sides,  was  like  the  roaring  of  a  terrible  huiTicane,  and  overreached 
the  loud  prayers  and  sighs  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  street,  who, 
from  fear  and  terror,  had  shut  themselves  up  in  their  dwellings. 
"  Death,  death  to  all  Jews !"  was  soon  the  dreadful  outcry  of  the 
rabble,  who  pei'sisted  in  their  false  accusation,  and  demanding  a 
sacrifice  to  appease  an  oflended  divinity,  as  their  Bishoj)  was  pleased 
to  style  it,  in  order  to  rouse  the  enraged  multitude  to  excessive 
measures.  All  houses  were  broken  into  or  destroyed,  and  the  un- 
fortunate inhabitants,  both  old  and  young,  without  exception,  were 
dragged  to  an  open  place  before  the  synagogue,  being  maltreated  on 
the  way.     Hereupon  the  Rabbi  began  to  address  them  in  a  loud 


46  SCHOOL  AXD  FAMILY  READER 

voice :  '•'  Dearly  beloved  and  uufortunate  brethren  in  Israel ! 
Blessed  be  God;  the  true  Judge  ;  He  gives  life  and  takes  it  away. 
He  be  praised  in  eternity.  Have  we  been  in  anyways  guilty  and 
deserving  of  our  woe — and  God  does  not  punish  in  vain — then  let  us 
gladly  accej^t  our  lot  from  His  hands,  and  joyfully  to  offer  ourselves, 
like  our  forefather,  Isaac,  as  a  sacrifice  unto  Him  ;  but,  in  case  we 
are  not  guilty,  and  God  has  ordained  for  us  this  heavy  trial,  then  let 
us  remain  steadfast  and  trust  to  His  mercy.  Is  not  to-day  the 
seventh  day  of  the  Pesach  festival,  on  which  our  ancestors  went 
through  the  dried-up  sea?  We  also  should  not  fear  the  currents 
which  seem  to  surround  us,  for  God  is  able  to  free  us  from  the  most 
powerful  floods.  If.  however,  some  one  be  amongst  us  who  is  guilty 
of  the  charge  we  are  accused  of,  then  let  him  at  once  ajopear  and 
confess  the  deed,  in  order  to  avei-t  the  calamity  from  our  entire 
harmless  congregation,  and  not  do  like  Achan,  who  once  brought 
misfoi'tune  upon  the  innocent.  He  will  have  no  share  in  eternal 
life,  and  he  is  here  and  there  condemned,  who,  by  his  guilt,  causes  a 
guiltless  life  to  be  destroyed."  The  Rabbi  was  silent;  but  no  one 
came  forth,  for  no  one  felt  guilty  of  the  accusation.  Solemn  silence 
j^revailed  for  a  moment,  and  even  the  furious  mob  seemed  almost  to 
have  come  to  their  senses  ;  but  it  did  not  last  long,  and  very  soon 
the  noise  commenced  afresh.  '*  A  sacrifice !  a  sacrifice  !"  shouted 
the  Bishop  and  the  rabble;  "an  offended  God  requires  it,"  and 
already  the  enraged  mob  began  to  get  read}'  their  murderous 
weapons,  during  which  the  loud  and  heart-rending  cry  of  "  Shema 
Jisroel,  adonay  elohenu,  adonay  echod !"  was  sent  on  high,  when  two 
men,  tall  and  powerful,  pressed  through  the  throng  and  made  their 
way  to  the  open  place  in  front  of  the  synagogue.  Here  they  shouted 
in  a  loud  voice  :  "  Stay,  stay,  for  here  are  the  guilty,  and  no  one  in 
this  congregation  has  offended  your  God."  Surprise  took  hold  of 
the  congregation,  and  the  bloodthii-sty  mob  felt  satisfied  and  yet 
dissatisfied.  But  quickly  some  wood  was  procured,  a  stake  erected, 
and  the  two  men  soon  disappeared  in  the  blazing  flames  . .  .not 
a  word  more  escaj)ed  their  lips.  Who  these  men  really  were,  no  one 
ever  knew.  What  their  names  were,  or* where  they  came  from,  no 
one  ever  could  tell.  But  the  congregation  was  saved,  and  in  grati- 
tude therefor  the  two  lights  of  that  lamp  are  kept  turning  at  all 
times,  which  you,  my  dear  reader,  will  perceive  in  the  synagogue  in 
front  of  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  and  upon  which  the  word, 
"  Shnee  Orchim,"  are  perceptible. 

L.  Philippson. 

Dr.  L.  Philippson,  of  Bonn,  Germany— A        Worms— A  city  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine. 
Jewish  divine  of  great  repute,  editor  of  the        Tradition— Accounts  delivered  from  mouth 

Allgemeine   Zeitung   des    Judenthums;    and  to  mouth  orally,  from  age  to   age. 
author    of  many    other    useful    works,   and        Achan — An  apostate  in  former  time?, 
especially  well-known  for  his  untiring  zeal  in        Shnee  Orchim  (Hebrew)— Two  strangers. 
aU  that  concerns  Judaism. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  47 

NARE  TAMID. 

Cruel  death,  so  wondrous  mighty  in  Sueth  for  admittance  at  the  gates  of 

thy  power,  I  heaven, 

What  harrowing  sting  is  thine,  in  that  From    which    repentant    mortal   ne'er 

last  hour,  was  driven  ; 

When  human  aid  and  skill  no  longer  '  'Tis  then  we  burn  in  memory  of  our 

dare  dead, 

Detain  thy  victims?      Then,    in    wild  As  symbol  of  the  soul  so  lately  fled, 

despair.  The    sacred    light ;     to    us    it    would 
We  call  upon  our  Maker  to  receive  appear 

The  human  soul  so  loved,  for  which  we  That,  while  it  lasts,  our  dear  ones  still 

grieve.  are  near 

And  when  the  last  faint  sigh  hath  taken  In  spirit ;  and  e'en  though  the  frame 

flight,  may  be 

When  the  dear  spirit,  clad  in  garments  Enshrouded  in  the  tomb,  the  soul   is 

white,  free. 

J.  M. 

Nare  Tamid  (Hebrew) — Perpetual  light. 


THE  BIBLE. 

The  Bible,  what  a  book!  Large  and  wide  as  the  world,  based  on 
the  abysses  of  creation,  and  peering  aloft  into  the  blue  secrets  of 
heaven;  sunrise  and  sunset,  promise  and  fulfillment,  birth  and  death, 
the  whole  drama  of  humanity  are  contained  in  this  one  book.  It  is 
the  book  of  God.  The  Jews  may  readily  be  consoled  at  the  loss  of 
Jeimsalem,  and  the  Temple,  and  the  Ark  and  the  Covenant,  and  all 
the  Crown  jewels  of  King  Solomon.  Such  forfeiture  is  as  naught 
when  weighed  against  the  Bible,  the  indestructible  treasure  that 
they  have  saved.  That  one  book  is  to  the  Jews  their  country, 
their  possessions — at  once  their  ruler,  and  their  weal  and  woe. 
Within  the  well-fenced  boundaries  of  that  book  they  live  and  have 
their  being;  they  enjoy  their  alienable  citizenship,  are  strong  to 
admiration;  thence  none  can  dislodge  them.  Absorbed  in  the 
perusal  of  their  sacred  book,  they  little  heeded  the  changes  that 
were  wrought  in  the  real  world  around  them.  Nations  rose  and 
vanished,  states  flourished  and  decayed,  revolutions  raged  through- 
out the  earth— but  they,  the  Jews,  sat  poring  over  this  book  uncon- 
scious of  the  wild  chase  of  time  that  rushed  on  above  their  heads. 
Heinrich  Heine. 

H.  Heine,  one  of  the  most  renowned  poets  of  Germany,  whose  numerous  works  are  well 
known  and  have  been  translated  into  almost  every  European  language. 
Abyss — A  great  depth.  I      To  Absorb— To  swallow  up. 

Drama— A  poem.  Alienable -Withdrawn  from. 


SELF-SUPPORT. 

Whoever  has  no  possessions  maybe  compared  to  a  suckling  babe 
which  has  lost  its  mother.  Poor  creature  !  It  is  handed  about  from 
one  woman  to  another,  but  it  does  not  thrive,  because  the  love  of 
the  mother  no  one  is  able  to  supi:)ly.  The  man  who  is  supported  by 
others,  were  it  even  by  his  own  father  or  mother,  or  his  children, 


48 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


never  feels  that  unspeakable  contentment  which  he  would  otherwise 
experience  in  maintaining  himself  by  his  own  exertions. 

Talmud. 


PRIDE  AND  HUMILITY. 

It  requires  but  a  slight  breeze  of  ill-luck  to  cast  down  the  proud, 
and  quite  right,  too;  for  the  immense  ocean,  which  consists  of  many 
million  drops  of  water,  is  nevertheless  disturbed  by  the  slightest 
breeze;  and  will  there  be  anything  more  necessary  to  humble  man, 
in  whose  veins  only  one  drop  of  blood  is  flowing  ?  Talmud. 

JUSTICE. 

Rabbi  Samuel  crossed  a  river  in  a  boat,  and,  on  reaching  the  shore, 
a  man  stretched  his  hand  out,  in  order  to  help  him  to  get  safely  on 
land.  The  same  man  aj)peared  before  him  in  a  lawsuit.  "  Friend," 
said  the  learned  Rabbi  to  him,  "  I  cannot  be  your  judge,  because  I 
am  indebted  to  you  for  a  service  you  have  formerly  rendered  me." 

■ Talmud. 

THE  THREE  NAMES. 

Three  names  are  given  to  man;  one  by  his  parents,  another  by 
the  world,  and  the  third  by  his  works—  the  one  which  is  written  in 
the  immortal  book  of  his  fate.  Which  of  these  names  is  the  best  ? 
Solomon  teaches  us,  when  he  says  (Koheleth  vii.  1.):  "A  good  name 
is  better  than  the  sweetest  oil."  Talmud. 


HAGAR. 


The  brazen,  fiery  sun  is  sinking  now, 
Yet  in  hot  gusts  the  lifeless  desert  air 
Scorches      my      throbbing    temples 
through  ray  hair, 
And   beats  like  burning  kisses  on  my 
brow. 


A  thirst,   I   pant  to   taste    the    cooUng 
breeze, 
As,  with  spent  breath  and  eyes  with 

weeping  dim, 
I  watch  my  little  son    and  pray  for 
him, 
Where  he  lies   fainting  on  ray  weary 
knees. 

Young,  princely  face,  grown  strangely 

pale  and  mild. 
Young  limbs   so  motionless,   young 

lips  so  dumb; 
Oh!  that  some  gracious  angel  would 

but  corae 


And  lay  strong  hands  of  healing  on  my 

child. 
I  see  no  place  of  rest  on  either  hand, 

I  see  no  rock,  I  see  no  cooling  well; 

Jehovah  will  not  pity  Ishmael, 
And  we  shall  die  in  this  accursed  land. 

Yea,. hungering  and  thirsting,  shall  we 
die. 
Like  a  fierce  desert  tigress  and  her 

young, 
Who    lie,  with     panting     side     and 
parched  tongue, 
On  the  hot  stones,  beneath  the  burning 
sky. 

Yet,   outcast,  friendless,   homeless,   as 
we  be, 
Death  is  more  merciful   than  life,  I 

know, 
And    with    submissive   heart   I  wait 
to  go 
Into  the  pitiful  eternity.  J.  M. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  49^ 

THE  KING  OF  KINGS. 

The  King  of  Syria,  at  war  with  the  King  of  Egj-pt,  having  con- 
quered Palestine,  became  sole  ruler  of  that  country,  for  after  the 
return  of  the  Babylonian  captivity  the  strife  between  the  two 
countries  continued,  and  only  by  paying  tribute  the  people  of  Pales- 
tine were  permitted  to  carry  on  their  worship,  and  to  serve  the  in- 
visible God. 

Thus,  the  King  of  Syria  one  day  requested  the  High-priest  to 
relate  to  him  the  wondrous  powers  of  his  God,  and  then  remarked: 
"I  honor  your  God,  because  I  am  told  that  He  is  great  and 
mighty,  but  as  He  has  allowed  me  to  vanquish  His  people,  I  believe 
that  my  power  cannot  be  altogether  deficient,  and  therefore  I 
deserve  honor  as  well.  I  shall  order  a  great  feast  in  order  to  con- 
vince your  God  of  my  esteem,  and  I  invite  Him  to  be  my  guest  on 
the  occasion,  and  as  I  am  sure  that  no  one  would  decline  my  invita- 
tion, I  hope  you  will  not  fail  to  attend  to  my  commands,  otherwise 
I  shall  hold  you  and  your  people  responsible  for  the  consequence." 
The  High-priest,  who  had  no  chance  to  make  a  reply,  raised  his  eyes 
on  high  to  offer  up  a  fervent  prayer  for  the  preservation  of  his 
people. 

Everything  was  now  got  ready,  great  preparations  were  made 
in  the  palace  garden  adjacent  to  the  sea-shore,  where  numberless 
tents,  tables,  chairs  and  all  other  necessaries  had  been  aiTanged, 
whilst  a  variety  of  viands  and  luxuries  were  not  wanting.  When 
all  was  completed,  the  king  informed  the  High-priest  that  he  and 
his  guests  were  ready  to  receive  his  God,  to  which  the  High- priest, who 
was  occupied  in  prayer,  made  no  reply.  But  amidst  the  festivities, 
made  brilliant  by  splendid  sunshine,  there  arose  on  a  sudden  a  slight 
breeze,  which  gradually  increased  until  the  wind  blew  with  some 
violence,  and  aJl  at  once  a  gust  came,  caiTying  away  tents,  tables, 
chairs  and  all  the  remaining  portion  of  the  preparations,  sweep- 
ing them  clear  into  the  sea,  the  waters  of  which  soon  covered 
them.  The  king  trembled  and  inquired  of  the  High-priest  the 
cause  of  this  phenomenon.  The  High-priest  answered:  "My  God 
is  approaching;  his  servant,  the  wind,  has  just  arrived  in  order  to 
clear  the  place  for  his  Almighty  Master."  The  king  grew  pale,  and 
fearing  another  gust  would  perhaps  sweep  him  and  his  guests  away, 
quickly  rephed:  "  Never  mind.  Your  God  need  not  come,  for  if  the 
power  of  the  servant  is  so  great,  what  must  be  that  of  the  Master  ?" 

Talmud. 


UPRIGHTNESS. 

Rab  Safra  had  a  valuable  jewel  for  sale,  and  some  merchants  had 
offered  him  five  gold  pieces  for  the  same,  but  he  declined  and  de- 
manded ten,  which  the  merchants  refused  to  give,  and  left  him. 
After    second  consideration,   he,  however,    resolved    upon    selling 


50 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


the  jewel  for  five  pieces.  The  next  day,  the  merchants  unexpectedly 
returned  just  at  the  time  when  Rab  Safra  was  at  prayers.  "  Sir," 
said  they  to  him,  "  we  come  to  you  again  in  order  to  do  business 
after  aU  Do  you  wish  to  j^art  with  the  jewel  for  the  price  we  offered 
you?"  But  Hab  Safra  made  no  reply.  "Well,  well!  don't  get 
angry,  we  will  add  another  two  pieces."  Rab  Safra  still  remained 
silent.  "  Well,  then,  be  it  as  you  say;  you  shall  get  the  ten  pieces, 
the  jmce  you  require."  By  this  time  Rab  Safra  had  just  ended  his 
prayer,  and  said:  "  Gentlemen,  I  was  at  prayers,  and  did  not  wish 
to  be  interruj)ted  in  my  devotions.  In  regard  to  the  price  of  the 
jewel,  I  have  already  resolved  upon  seUing  it  at  the  price  you  offered 
me  yesterday.  If  you  then  pay  me  five  pieces  of  gold,  I  am  satis- 
fied; more  I  cannot  take."  Talmud. 


FILIAL  LOVE. 

Dama,  a  son  of  Netina,  was  a  heathen,  to  whom  once  some  cus- 
tomers came  to  buy  goods  for  which  they  offered  him  a  very  high 
price,  on  account  of  being  much  in  want  of  the  articles  for  a  certain 
purpose.  "  Friends,"  said  he,  "  the  key  of  the  place  where  this 
particular  kind  of  goods  is  stored  aAvay  lies  just  under  the  pillow 
whereupon  my  father  is  now  asleep;  I  dare  not  disturb  my  father's 
rest,  and,  therefore,  cannot  comply  with  your  wish  at  the  present 
moment,  however  temjDting  your  offer  may  appear."  Talmud. 


SAUL  AND  THE  WITCH  OF  EN-DOR. 

At  once,  and  blasted   by  the   thunder 
stroke. 


Thou  whose  spell  can  raise  the  dead. 
Bid  the  prophet's  form  appear. 

"  Samuel,  raise  the  buried  head  ! 
King,  behold  the  phantom  seer  !" 


Earth  yawn'd;  he  stood  the  centre  of  a 

cloud; 
Light  changed  its  hue,  retiring  from  his 

shroud, 
Death  stood  all  glossy  in  his  fixed  eje; 
His  hand  was  wither'd,  and   his  veins 

were  dry; 
His  foot,  in  bony  whiteness,  glitter' d 

there, 
Shrunken  and  sinewless,  and   ghastly 

bare; 
From   lips   that   moved   not,  and  un- 

breathing  frame. 
Like  cavern'd  winds,  the  hollow  accents 

came. 
Saul  saw,  and  fell  to  earth,  as  falls  the 
oak. 

Lord  Byron  was  born  in  London  (England),  January  22,  1788,  and  died  April  19, 1824,  at 
Missolonghi,  Greece.   One  of  England's  greatest  poets  and  r  voluminous  writer. 
FaI/Chion — A  short  crookec?  sword. 


"  Why  is  my  sleep  disquieted  V 
"Who  is  he  that  calls  the  death  '? 
Is  it  thou,  0  KingV     Behold, 
Bloodless  are  these  limbs,  and  cold; 
Such  are  mine;  and  such  shall  be 
Thine  to-morrow,  when  with  me; 
Ere  the  coming  day  is  done, 
Such  shalt  thou  be,  such  thy  sou. 
Fare  thee  well,  but  for  a  day, 
Then  we  mix  our  mouldering  clay. 
Thou,  thy  race,  lie  pale  and  low, 
Pierced  by  shafts  of  many  a  bow; 
And  the  falchion  by  thy  side 
To  thy  heart  thy  hand  shall  guide  : 
Crownless,  breathless,  headless  fall. 
Son  and  sire,  the  house  of  Saul !" 

Byron, 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  51 

JOYOUSNESS. 

How  pleasantly  and  with  what  happy  results  we  journey  on 
through  life,  if  we  always  endeavor  to  be  joyful  in  all  our  daily 
actions  !  We  increase,  moreover,  the  happiness  of  our  neighbor  by 
pouring  the  balm  of  consolation  into  suffering  and  devoted  hearts. 
The  weary  laborer,  returning  from  his  daily  toil  finds  joy  in  his 
household  whenever  his  family  are  cheerful  toward  him  in  all  their 
intercourse.  He  remembers  with  pleasure,  then,  that  a  jo^'ful  soul 
is  ever  resigned  to  the  lot  marked  out  for  him  by  a  merciful  Creator; 
and  that  if  he  bears  up  under  all  his  misfortunes  his  joy  in  the  life 
to  come  will  be  such  as  never  can  be  conceived  by  man  until  he 
enters  the  kingdom  of  joy,  so  great  will  be  his  happiness. 

It  is,  moreover,  always  in  our  power  to  do  something  to  alleviate 
the  miseries  of  those  around  us.  The  friendless,  for  instance,  we 
can  comfort  by  trying  to  elevate  their  condition  in  all  that  concerns 
their  welfare  in  this  life ;  the  ignorant  we  can  assist  by  giving  them 
our  best  admonition,  instructing  them  in  every  way  possible  for  their 
temporal  happiness.  The  broken-hearted  and  dispirited  we  can 
console  by  a  kind  word  of  sympathy,  telling  them  that  it  is  a  holy 
resolution  to  assist  iheir  fellow-being  in  every  way — for  their  ad- 
Tantage  through  Ufe  —telling  them  of  the  reward  which  the  Creator 
has  in  store  for  them ;  and  thus  we  can  in  several  ways  assist  every 
one  needing  our  advice,  ever  believing  that  God  will  reward  us,  and 
that  He  never  will  be  outdone  in  generosity  to  all  His  faithful  ser- 
vants. .  H.  O. 


GOD'S  LOVE  TO  ISRAEL. 

A  GREAT  king  informed  his  friend  that  he  would  come  to  visit  him 
on  a  certain  day,  and  the  friend  made  up  his  mind  that  the  king 
would  surely  come  incognito  or  at  night,  inasmuch  as  his  poor  hut 
was  too  miserable  a  place  to  hold  such  greatness.  But,  think  of  his 
astonishment,  when  one  day  the  king  made  his  appearance,  sitting 
u]Don  his  noble  steed,  clad  in  purple,  and  accompanied  by  a  numer- 
ous retinue.  "I  have  come,"  said  he,  "in  all  my  splendor,  in  order 
to  show  you  before  all  the  world  how  much  I  am  attached  to  you." 

Thus  it  was  with  Israel,  when  God  announced  to  them  that  He 
would  dwoll  in  the  Tabernacle ;  they  still  thought.  Will  God  in  His 
whole  glory  condescend  to  dwell  among  men  here  on  earth  ? 

And,  behold  !  scarcely  was  the  Tabernacle  consecrated,  when  the 
Divine  cloud  beamed  forth,  and  the  Divine  light  sun'ounded  and 
enveloped  the  same ;  it  was  in  like  manner  when  the  same  Divine 
cloud  appeared  in  its  whole  mysterious  grandeur  on  Sinai,  and  thus 
God  bestowed  on  Israel  the  greatest  token  of  His  love. 

Talmud. 


52  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

CHAEITY  RECONCILES  MAN  WITH  GOD. 

He  who  is  unfortunate  and  is  continually  struggling  with  poverty, 
is  often  enticed,  on  account  of  his  sufferings,  to  murmur  against  an. 
all-wise  Providence.  He  frequently  thinks:  "Ami  not  also  God's 
creature?  Why  does  there  exist  such  difference  between  myself 
and  the  wealthy.  He  sleeps  quietly  in  his  splendid  mansion,  and 
I  have  to  lay  in  my  miserable  hut;  he  sleeps  in  his  soft  bed,  and 
I  am  obliged  to  take  my  rest  on  the  hard  floor." 

The  cliaritable  person  by  his  liberality  pacifies  the  complaints  of 
the  pool',  and  thus  puts  him  to  silence  at  once.  God  says  to  these 
charitable  persons:  "  By  your  liberality  you  reconcile  the  poor  man 
with  Myself;  you  make  peace  between  us."  Talmud. 

CHEER  UP. 


Cheer  up  !  my  friend,  cheer  up,  I  say; 

Give  not  thy  heart  to  gloom,  to  sorrow; 
Though  clouds  enshroud  thy  path  to- 
day, 

The  sun  will  shine  again  to-morrow. 

Oh  !  look  not  with  desponding  sigh 
Upon  these  little  trifling  troubles; 

Cheer  up  !  you'll  see  them  by-and-by 
Just  as  they  are — like  empty  bubbles. 


So  come,  cheer  up  !  my  friend,  cheer  up  l 
This  is  a  world  of  love  and  beauty; 

And  you  may  quaflE  its  sweetest  cup 
If  you  but  bravely  do  your  duty. 

Put  gloom  and  sadness  far  away, 

And,  smiling,  bid  good-bye  to  sorrow; 

The  clouds  that  shroud  your  path  tc-day 
Will  let  the  sunlight  in  to-morrow. 

■^  Adapted. 


ISRAEL'S  PRIVILEGE. 

A  CERTAIN  king  constantly  reminded  his  servant  to  take  care  of  a 
purple  cloak,  to  clean,  to  brush,  to  fold  it  properly  and  to  pay  great 
attention  in  preserving  the  same  ;  and  this  caution  he  repeated  to  the 
servant  continually.  One  day,  however,  the  servant  could  not  refrain 
from  addressing  the  king  in  these  words  :  "  Great  king,  thou  hast 
hundi'eds  of  purple  garments  not  less  beautiful  than  this,  and  yet 
thou  always  remindest  me  in  regard  to  this  particular  cloak  only  ?"^ 
The  king  replied  :  "  This  one  I  like  best,  because  I  wore  it  on  the 
day  when  I  was  placed  on  the  throne." 

In  the  same  manner  said  Moses,  when  God  gave  him  hundreds  of 
commandments  for  Israel.  "  Oh,  my  God  !  Thou  hast  hundreds  of 
nations  on  eai-th,  and  yet  Thou  speakest  continually  to  me  of  Israel, 
and  it  is  always  Israel  to  which  Thou  callest  my  attention  ?" 

Whereupon  God  said  :  "  They  are  all  my  people,  but  this  one  na- 
tion I  love  best  because  it  was  the  first  to  proclaim  My  kingdom  upon 

earth."  _  Talmud. 

TWOFOLD  JOY. 

Two  vessels  sail  on  the  ocean  at  one  and  the  same  time  ;  the  one  is 
leaving,  the  other  entering,  the  harbor.  For  the  one  which  is  leav- 
ing a  number  of  friends  had  prepared  a  great  feast,  and  with  clap- 
ping of  hands,  and  loud  vociferations  of  joy,  they  celebrjited  her  de- 


FOR  THE  USE  OP^  ISRAELITES.  53^ 

parture,  whilst  the  one  which  entered  no  one  feeemed  to  notice.  An 
intelligent  man,  who  vas  a  spectator  of  what  j^assed,  said:  "Here 
quite  the  revei'se  appears  to  take  place,  as  otherwise  ought  to  hap- 
pen. They  rejoice  over  the  one  which  departs,  and  feel  indifferent 
toward  the  other  which  returns.  What  a  fallacy  !  Rejoice  over  the 
one  which  has  acconijilished  its  voyage,  and  is  returning  from  many 
dangers  in  safety  ;  and  bewail  rather  the  vessel  which  is  departing, 
for  she  will  thus  be  exposed  to  the  storms  of  an  inconstant  sea."  The 
same  when  man  is  born,  great  rejoicing  takes  i:)lace,  whilst  at  his 
death  much  grief  is  expressed.  One  ought  to  weep  at  his  bii-th,  be- 
cause no  one  is  cei'tain  whether  he  will  be  able  to  overcome  the  dangers 
and  temptations  of  life ;  whilst  at  his  death  one  ought  to  feel  pleased, 
if  he  only  leaves  a  good  name  behind  him.  At  his  birth,  man  is  en- 
tered in  the  book  of  death;  when  he  dies  he  is  entered  in  the  book  of 
life.  Talmud. 

THE  BEAUTIES  OF  NATURE. 

Pause  awhile,  ye  downcast  and  disconsolate  tenants  of  earth! 
Raise  your  bowed  heads  and  look  uj)ward !  Behold  the  vast  pano- 
rama which  nature  has  spread  out  for  your  study  and  contemplation ! 
If  you  look  at  the  blue  concave  heavens  over  your  heads,  on  a  clear 
night,  you  will  behold  it  bedecked  with  myriads  upon  myriads  of 
sparkling  gems,  outvying  in  beauty  the  most  resj^lendent  coronet 
that  ever  adorned  the  head  of  any  earthly  potentate. 

"  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth 
His  handiwork."  If  these  are  glorious,  what  must  be  the  glory  of 
Him  who  created  them  !  What  a  magnificent  temjjle  for  the  wor- 
ship of  that  Almighty  Being  "  who  stretcheth  out  the  heavens  like  a 
cui-tain,  and  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth  that  it  should  not 
be  removed  forever." 

Look  abroad  over  the  earth.  What  a  prospect  is  spread  out  be- 
fore you  !  What  an  endless  variety  of  configviration — hill  and  vaUey, 
mountain  and  plain,  rivers,  lakes,  seas,  cataracts  are  presented  to 
your  enraptured  view !  If  you  look  over  tlie  illimitable  ocean,  and 
behold  its  heaviugs,  its  turbulences  and  ceaseless  agitations,  the  mind 
is  overwlielmed  with  awe  and  admiration  at  the  works  of  the  Lord, 
and  His  wonders  in  the  deep  !  Look  at  the  earth  in  the  various 
changes  of  the  seasons.  Now  it  rejioses  for  a  while  in  the  icy  em- 
brace of  winter;  now  it  is  decorated  with  the  verdure  and  flowers  of 
spring;  now  it  smiles  in  the  luxuriance  of  summer;  anon  it  is  laden 
with  the  rich  bounties  of  autumn,  affording  sustenance  for  every 
living  creature. 

Look  up,  ye  desponding  children  of  earth,  to  that  kind  and  benefi- 
cent Father  whose  watchful  care  is  ever  over  you,  and  whose  faith- 
fulness is  pledged  to  supply  your  every  need.  He  opens  His  hand 
and  supplies  the  wants  of  every  living  thing.     Surely  the  earth  is 


54 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


full  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  !     Let  His  wisdom  and  goodness  fill 
your  hearts  with  gratitude  and  love  !  Adapted. 


Illimitable — Without  limits. 
Panorama — Complete  or  entire  view. 
Concave — Hollow. 

Mtriads— 10,000;    proverbially,  any    great 
number. 


Eesplendent— Bright,  beautiful  lustre. 
Coronet — An  inferior  crown  worn  by  no- 
bility. 
PoTi  ntate — Monarch,  prince, 


THERE  IS  A  GOD. 


The  one  who  says  there  is  no  God, 
Should  study  nature's  laws; 

From  worlds  in  space,  down  to  our  sod, 
There's  naught  without  a  cause; 

The  laws  which  govern  earth  and  sky, 

To  God's  existence  testify. 

Look  at  the  earth,  see  how  plants  grow 

Out  of  a  little  seed; 
If  one  would  only  wish  to  know 

His  God,  this  he  would  heed; 
For  plants  all  grow  by  certain  laws. 
Of  which  our  God's  the  only  cause. 

Let  him  who  doth  his  God  deny. 

The  stars  of  heaven  trace; 
See  how  each  world  doth  occupy 

A  certain  part  of  space; 


There're  made  and  moved  by  certain 

laws, 
Of  which  our  God's  the  only  cause. 

Year  after  year,  from  west  to  east. 

Our  planet  round  doth  go; 
And  ev'ry  star,  to  say  the  leas*, 

Some  motion  has,  we  know; 
These  laws  of  motion  tidings  bring 
Of  God,  the  everlasting  King. 

Who   made    the    laws    which    govern 
space  f 
Who  maketh  grow  each  seed  ? 
Who  gives  each  starry  world  its  place. 

And  bids  it  onward  speed  ? 
'Tis  God,  the  King  of  earth  and  sky, 
Who  lives  on  earth  and  .dwells  on  high. 
M.  Lehmeyer. 


HOPE. 


Man's  dearest  possession  is  hope.  When  that  which  we  hold 
most  precious  is  taken  away  from  us,  and  aU  the  chords  of  the  heart 
mourn  and  bewail  the  loss,  then  after  awhile  from  the  most  hidden 
recess  of  our  bosom  proceeds  a  low,  but  sweet  whisper,  whi^^h 
silences  the  wild  outbreaks  of  despair,  and  softens  down  the  grief 
to  faithful  submission  and  willingness  of  the  heai-t  to  be  afflicted. 
These  sacred  sounds,  with  their  soothing  power,  are  the  language  of 
hope  in  the  soul  of  man.  Hope  is  like  a  nurse.  If  she  is  mercen- 
ary, I  would  not  trust  my  soul  to  her  charge;  if  she  is  the  true,  de- 
voted friend,  then  she  will  never  break  faith  toward  her  trusted 
nursling. 

Mercenary  hopes  are  the  whimsical  expectations  of  a  covetous 
heart.  They  never  satisfy,  and  never  are  to  be  satisfied;  the  more 
you  give  them  the  more  they  ask,  and  forever  they  keep  the  minds 
of  their  votaries  in  a  morbid  state  of  suspense.  Genuine  hope  is  the 
child  of  faith,  and,  therefore,  proves  always  faithful.  It  does  not  make 
its  promises  dependent  on  vague  uncertainties  that  may  and  may 
not  come  to  pass.  It  relies  on  the  unfailing  wisdom  and  mercy  of 
Providence,  and  therefore  it  never  fails.     JMercenary  hope  makes  us. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  55 

impatient,  passionate,  and  thereby  undermines  the  strength  to  en- 
dure and  causes  the  loss  of  success.  Spiritual  hope  arms  those  that 
enlist  under  her  banner  with  the  irresistible  weapon  of  resignation; 
she  enables  them  to  withstand  the  tribulations  of  the  present,  and 
wait  patiently  and  quietly  until  the  tempest  is  followed  by  more 
genial  weather,  and  thus  spiritual  hope  is  a  more  rieliable  guide 
even  to  material  results. 

The  patriarch  Jacob  sends  his  favorite  child  on  a  short  errand; 
he  will  see  him  soon  again.  The  beloved  son,  however,  never  re- 
turns; all  that  is  left  to  him  is  the  bloody  coat,  which  is  brought  to 
the  unhappy  father  with  the  cold  question,  Acknowledge  whether  it 
be  thy  son's  coat  or  not?  Jacob  mourns  his  son  for  a  long,  long 
period.  He  hopes  to  meet  him  only  in  that  land  where  there  is  no 
parting.  He  abides  patiently  his  time  until  his  Maker  will  call  him. 
Twenty-two  years  have  passed  since  that  terrible  moment  when  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  must  go  down  unto  my  son  mourning  into  the 
grave;"  and,  after  these  many  years,  behold!  like  cold  water  to  a 
fainting  soul,  comes  from  a  far  country  the  good  news  to  him, 
"  Joseph  is  yet  alive,  and  he  is  governor  over  all  the  lands  of 
Egypt."  His  heart  gave  way  under  these  tidings,  but  his  spirit  soon 
revived.  The  heart  is  weak,  but  the  spirit  is  strong.  Spiritualize 
your  hopes  and  that  will  strengthen  your  hearts,  and  will  bring  a 
never-failing  fulfillment  to  your  cleansed  expectations.  In  the  sultry 
hours  of  your  life,  approach  with  love  the  sacred  shrine  of  your 
sanctuary,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  will  prove  its  effect  on  you.  As 
cold  water  is  to  a  fainting  soul,  so  will  be  the  glad  tidings  of  the 
spiritvial  region  to  your  minds.  Dr.  Huebsch. 

[Adapted  from  a  lecture  delivered  by  Dr.  Huebsch,  Minister  of  "Ahavath 
Chesed,"  New  York.] 


THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  JEW. 

What  has  prevented  this  constantly  migrating  people,  this  verita- 
ble Wandering  Jew,  from  degenerating  into  brut?  lized  vagabonds, 
into  vagrant  hordes  of  gypsies  ?  The  answer  is  at  hand.  In  its 
journey  through  the  desert  of  life,  for  eighteen  centuries,  the  Jew- 
ish people  carried  along  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  which  breathed 
into  its  heart  ideal  aspirations,  and  even  illuminated  the  badge  of 
disgrace  affixed  to  its  garment  with  an  apostolic  glory.  The  pro- 
scribed, outlawed,  universally  persecuted  Jew  felt  a  sublime,  noble 
pride  in  being  singled  out  to  perpetuate  and  to  suffer  for  a  religion 
which  reflects  eternity,  by  which  the  nations  of  the  eai^h  were  grad- 
ually educated  to  a  knowledge  of  God  and  morality,  and  from  which 
is  to  spring  the  salvation  and  redemption  of  the  world.  The  conscious- 
ness of  his  glorious  apostolic  office  sustained  the  sufiferer,  and  even 
stamped  the  sufferings  as  a  portion  of  the  sublime  mission. 

Such  a  people,  which  disdained   its   present,  but   has   the   eye 


56 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


steadily  fixed  on  its  future,  which  lives,  as  it  were,  on  hope,  is,  on 
that  very  account,  eternal  like  hope.  H.  Graetz. 


Degenerate — Base . 

Apostolic — A  person  sent  with  a  charge. 


To  Perpetuate^To  continue. 


THE  BETTER  LAND. 


"  I  hear  thee  speak  of  the  better  land, 
Thou  callst  its  children  a  happy  band; 
Mother!      Oh,    where    is   that  radiant 

shore? 
Shall  we  not  seek  it  and  weep  no  more  ? 
Is  it  where  the  flower   of   the  orange 

blows, 
A.nd   the  fire-flies   dance  through    the 

myrtle  boughs?" 
"  Not  there,  not  there,  my  child!" 

"  Is  it  where  the  feathery  palm  trees  rise  ? 
And  the  date  grows  ripe  under  sunny 

skies? 
Or  'raid  the  green  islands  of  glittering 

seas, 
Where  fragrant    forests    perfume    the 

breeze, 
And    strange,  bright   birds,    on    their 

starry  wings 
Bear    the    rich    hues    of    all    glorious 

things?" 
"  Not  there,  not  there,  my  child  !" 


"  Is  it  far  away  in  some  region  old. 
Where  the  rivers  wander  o'er  sands  of 

gold. 
Where  the  burning  rays  of    the  ruby 

shine, 
And  the  diamond  lights  up  the  secret 

mine, 
And  the  pearl  gleams   forth  from  the 

coral  strand  ? 
Is  it  there,  sweet  mother,  that  better 

land?" 
"  Not  there,  not  there,  my  child!" 

"  Eye  hath  not  seen  it,  ray  gentle  boy! 
Ear  hath  not  heard  its  deep  sounds  of 

joy, 
Dreams  cannot  picture  a  world  so  fair, 
Sorrow  and  death  may  not  enter  there; 
Time  does  not  breathe  on  its  fadeless 

bloom. 
Beyond  the   clouds    and    beyond    the 

tomb; 
It  is  there,  it  is  there,  my  child!" 
Adapted. 


WOMAN'S  FRIENDSHIP. 

The  love  of  women  for  women  has  frequently  been  sneered  at  by 
shallow  minds.  The  idea  of  lasting  affection  between  them  has  not 
seldom  been  the  subject  of  cheap  satire  and  pointless  wit.  Pliant 
arguinent  has  been  used  to  give  suppoi-t,  or  the  appearance  of  it,  to 
the  theory.  The  impossibility  of  sincere  friendship  between  women 
is  explained  upon  the  fact  that  not  being  schooled  in  the  ways  of 
the  world,  in  the  art  of  disguising  their  sentiments,  mere  passing 
dislikes  and  groundless  suspicions  are  uttered  forth  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  lasting  intercourse.  In  a  word,  woman's  honesty  of  speech 
is  declared  to  be  the  bar  to  the  honesty  of  her  friendship.  A  pre- 
posterous pai'adox,  and  one  that  reflects  severely  upon  the  friendsliip 
of  men  toward  men.  If  such  be  the  pillar  on  which  man's  friend- 
ship rests,  sivng  by  poets,  extolled  by  philosophers,  eulogized  by  our 
own  David,  woman  may  scorn  friendship  based  upon  deceit.  But,- 
in  reality,  such  critics  are  like  the  ignorant  people  who  trample  on 
the  sand  or  the  grass  without  a  thought  of  the  thousand  marvels 
which  cluster  around  each  grain,  each  blade,  but  which  are  enough 
to  stagger  wise  men.     Woman's  heart,  a  common  thing,   contains 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  57 

marvels  that  we  may  wonder  at,  but  not  explain.  Woman's  un- 
guarded speech?  As  if  all  the  hasty  utterances  in  the  world,  as  if 
the  most  bitter  expressions  that  tongue  ever  fabricated,  ever  killed 
a  mother's  love  for  her  daughter.  Say  that  men  cherish  hasty 
words,  brood  over  them,  nurse  them  like  torpid  vipers  in  their 
bosom,  till  the  warmth  of  their  own  vengefulness  and  unforgiveness 
rouses  them  to  life,  to  lacerate  them  unto  death,  but  say  not  that 
women  treasure  hasty  speech. 

That  a  daughter's  love  can  be  undying,  too,  Ruth  shows  us.  AU 
a  woman's  holier  instincts  are  toward  matrimony.  Not  for  her  own 
good  was  she  made,  but  to  perfect  man.  Ruth  had  lost  her  hus- 
loand ;  the  cup  of  wedded  happiness  had  been  dashed  from  her  lips  ; 
she  renounced  all  hope  of  future  wedded  bliss  to  follow  an  old  and 
broken  woman.  Naomi  bade  her  stay  and  marry  in  Moab  ;  she 
refused.  Her  sister  did  remain  ;  she  refused.  Animated  with  true 
friendship,  with  woman's  friendship,  the  world's  literature,  which 
has  had  centuries  to  improve  on  it,  can  furnish  no  more  touching 
response  :  the  refined  feeling  of  enHghtened  age  has  never  brought 
out  a  holier  devotion  than  in  the  rej^ly,  "  Urge  me  not  to  leave  thee  ; 
"whither  thou  goest  I  wiU  go.  Away  with  aU  thoughts  of  my 
welfare  ;  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go,  broken  and  heart-stricken, 
sad  and  desolate,  where  God's  hand  and  man's  are  surest  upon  thee. 
Urge  me  not  to  leave  thee  ;  whither  thou  goest  I  will  go !"  Long 
may  these  words  be  j^reserved  to  fire  the  souls  of  such  women  as 
Ruth.  You  may  not  have  the  same  opportunity,  but  each,  in  your 
own  degree,  can  emulate  heathen  Ruth.  Aye,  a  heathen  she  was — 
an  unenlightened,  idolatrous  heathen — but  she  married  into  our 
faith,  adopted  it,  and  her  great  grandson,  David,  inherited  his  ances- 
tor's nobility.  The  material  is  in  our  women— it  needs  but  the 
spark  to  fire  it— and  I  fear  not  that  when  sad  misfortune  lowers,  we 
have  yet  to  hear  of  many  a  noble  Ruth.  Long  may  this  Book, 
the  personification  of  woman's  devotion,  be  preserved,  to  be  read 
and  reread,  to  make  us  meditate  upon  the  life  and  deeds  of  Naomi's 
granddaugliter,  Moabite  Ruth.  Dr.  Mendes. 

[From  a  lecture  delivered  by  Dr.  F.  De  Sola  Mendes,  minister  of  Congregation 
"  Shaary-Tefila,"  N.  Y.] 


PiRADOx— An  assertion   contrary  to  appear-  I      PBEPosrEEOus — Wrong, absurd, 
ance. 


THE  SHUN  AMITE'S  REPLY. 

II.  Kings  iv,  ;  18. 
"And  she  answered,  'I  dwell  among  my  own  people,   I  dwell  amonj 
own.'  " 


Oh  !  happy  thou  ! 
Not  for  the  sunny  clasiers  of  the  vine. 
Nor  for  the  olives  on  the  mountain's 
brow  : 


Nor  ttie  flocks  wandermg  by  the  flow- 
ing line 

Of  streams,  that  made  the  green  land 
where  they  shine 


58  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Laugh  to  the  light  of  waters  ; — not  for 
these, 

Nor  the  soft  shadow  of  ancestral  trees. 

Whose  kindly  whisper  floats  o'er  thee 
and  thine. 

Oh  !    not  for   these  I  call   thee    richly- 
blest,  !  home's  dear  charities. 

But  for  the  meekness  of  thy  woman's  | 

breast,  Mrs.  Heman 


Where  that  sweet  depth  of  still  con- 
tentment lies ; 

And  for  thy  holy  household  love,  which 
clings 

Unto  all  ancient  and  familiar  things, 

Weaving  from    each   some    links    for 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 

When  we  analyze  the  various  remedies  which  have  been  recom- 
mended to  heal  the  disease  which  afflicts  Israel,  undermining  its 
spiritual  health — indifference — after  the  most  minute  analysis  one 
must  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  female  influence  is  the  best 
remedy  that  can  and  should  be  employed.  Religious  education  has 
its  advocates,  and  will  tend  in  a  great  measure  to  benefit  the  col- 
lective body  ;  but  must  inevitably  fail  to  produce  the  desired  effect 
unless  strengthened  by  the  wide-spreading  influence  of  the  "mothers 
in  Israel."  Let  not  mothers  or  daughters  exclaim,  "  What  can  we 
do  ?  We  are  willing  to  contribute  our  portion  to  the  alleviation  of 
Israel's  spiritual  condition,  but  we  are  subjected  to  the  control  of 
our  husbands,  and  it  is  they  that  should  be  admonished  and 
reproved,  not  we.  Their  indifference  on  religious  matters  has  such 
an  influence  that,  even  with  the  best  intentions,  we  find  our  efforts 
frustrated,  until  at  last  we  act  as  they  do,  and  banish  religion  from 
our  homes,  doing  this  for  the  sake  of  peace."  Have  the  women  of 
Israel  yet  to  be  told  that  tiue  peace  can  only  be  found  where 
religion  prevails,  and  that  their  influence  rightly  directed  establishes 
concord  and  happiness  on  a  permanent  basis. 

From  our  earliest  records  we  find  that  women  exercised  an  influ- 
ence indescribable  ;  as  said  by  one  of  our  sages  :  "But  for  woman, 
Moses  would  never  have  been  our  law-giver."  What  nobler  example 
need  we  adduce  of  woman's  influence  in  a  semi-barbarous  period, 
and  has  woman's  influence  degenerated  in  our  so-called  enlightened 
age  ?  We  will  not,  cannot  believe  it.  We  are  well  aware  that  they 
have  difficulties  to  encounter.  There  appears  to  be  a  determination 
with  some  thoughtless  beings  to  surrender  all  that  was  wont  to  be 
held  sacred  ;  but  knowing  woman's  influence,  we  entreat  them  to 
exercise  their  power  to  check  this  spirit  of  error,  and  their  efforts 
cannot  fail  to  be  beneficial.  Let  them  exercise  their  undoubted 
power  over  their  husbands,  and  their  efforts,  if  directed  in  the  cause 
of  religion,  wiU  ultimately  prevail.  The  men,  struggling  against  the 
foaming  stream  of  society,  unsuccessful  in  their  transactions,  often- 
times come  home  to  their  families  morose  and  discontented.  It 
becomes  women  to  soften  what  is  hard,  make  smooth  what  is  rough, 
and  send  a  ray  of  light  through  the  clouded  sky.     By  their  words 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  59 

they  can  teacli  their  husbands  resignation  ;  by  their  influence  and 
their  example  they  can  instruct  them  in  religion,  and  cause  them  to 
say  in  the  midst  of  their  despondency:  "It  is  well  to  be  nearer  to 
God."  Let  them  not  mistrust  their  power,  and  employ  their  trite 
expression  :  "  What  can  we  do  ?"  By  their  example  they  earn  bring- 
back  to  religion  and  worship  the  spirit  which  only  needs  a  true 
woman's  guide.  Do  they  doubt  this  ?  Let  history  dispel  all  such 
misgiving,  for  it  clearly  proves  their  influence.  Need  we  demon- 
strate this  by  what  they  did  for  the  living  ?  How  often  they  caused 
the  wavererto  become  strong  in  the  faith  !  See  what  woman  did  for 
the  dead !  How  Ayah's  daughter  took  sackcloth,  and  sitting  upon  the 
rock  from  the  beginning  of  the  harvest,  guarded  those  who  had 
been  executed,  so  that  neither  the  birds  of  heaven  nor  the  beasts  of 
the  field  should  rest  on  them.  Would  any  man  have  performed  so 
herculean  a  task?  It  was  woman,  totally  regardless  of  self,  who 
watched  them  by  day  and  by  night ;  and  so  powerful  was  her  influ- 
ence, that  David  took  not  only  their  bones,  but  also  that  of  Saul 
and  Jonathan,  and  buried  them  in  the  sepulchre  of  Kirsh.  But 
why  require  further  evidence  ?  The  last  chapter  of  Proverbs,  writ- 
ten by  the  sapient  king,  fully  portrays  the  influence  of  woman. 

As  it  was  in  days  of  old,  so  it  is  now.  If  women  employ  the 
golden  key  of  religion  and  benevolence,  they  will  impress  the  heart 
by  their  influence  ;  if  they  permit  the  key  to  corrode,  the  heart  wiU 
remain  closed  against  every  attempt  to  open  it.  it  was  not  without 
an  object  that  King  Soloman  said,  "  Forsake  not  thy  mother's  laws."^ 
This  was  dii-ected  to  husbands  as  weU  as  to  children.  Of  husbands 
we  have  ah-eady  spoken,  but  women's  influence  over  theii-  children 
requires  especial  attention.  If  by  their  pious  example  and  their 
never-failing  persuasive  language  they  bestow  upon  their  children 
religious  knowledge,  they  will  accustom  them  to  religious  acts,  and 
their  exertions  will  not  be  in  vain.  They  will  reaj)  a  harvest  of 
blessings  ;  their  children  will  become  such  as  our  religion  requires — 
enlightened,  strong  in  their  faith,  unshaken  in  their  observances  ;, 
they  will  honor  Grod,  love  their  parents,  and  their  affection  will  give 
every  comfort  to  those  who  educate  them  by  their  example.  But  if, 
on  the  reverse,  mothers  neglect  their  sacred  duty,  or,  as  an  excuse 
for  their  shortcomings,  blame  their  husbands—  and,  with  regret  be  it 
said,  the  fathers  often  deserve  the  blame  then  they  will  be  punished 
by  the  indifference  and  probably  by  the  disrespect  of  their  offspring, 
who  in  maturer  ages  will  probably  say:  "We  knew  nothing  of  our 
reHgion  or  its  ceremonies  ;  the  voice  of  prayer  never  illumined  our 
dwellings  ;  everything  prohibited  by  Jewish  law  was  jpermitted  in 
our  homes  ;  our  mothers  taught  us  nothing  of  our  religious  duties." 
Will  not  these  words  be  a  reproach  that  will  torment  them  and 
follow  them  to  the  grave  ?  In  mal  ing  this  appeal  to  woman,  know- 
ing their  influence,  we  would  not,  even  in  the  remotest  degree,  re- 


60 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


fleet  on  them  as  being  unmindful  of  some  portion  of  a  woman's 
duty,  but  we  would  have  them  use  their  power  and  example  to  pro- 
mote the  obsei-vances  of  their  religion.  The  true  Jewish  woman 
who  can  be  pious  without  bigotry  practices  them  with  punctuaUty 
and  devotion.  If  she  wiU  but  employ  her  immense  influence,  she 
wiU  exei'cise  such  irresistible  attraction  that  she  will  succeed  in  win- 
ning her  whole  family  over  to  her  ideas  and  convictions,  and  their 
words  will  be  :  "  Only  the  woman  who  fears  the  Lord  shall  be 
praised."  S.  M.  Isaacs. 

Rev.  Samuel  M.  Isaacs  was  born  in  Lewarden,  Hollaad,  in  1804,  and  died  May  26,  1878.  He 
was  for  many  years  Rabbi  of  Shaary  Teflla  Congregation,  New  York,  and  the  founder  of  the 
Jewish  Mesfengtr.  He  was  noted  for  his  piety  and  the  blamelessness  of  his  life,  which  en- 
deared him  to  people  of  all  classes  and  creeds. 


Analysis — A  solution  of  anything  into  its 
several  parts. 


Hebculean—  Having  extraordinary  strength. 
Sapient — Wise,  sage. 


RESOLUTION  OF  RUTH. 


Farewell  ?    Oh,  no  !  it  may  not  be  ; 

My  firm  resolve  is  heard  on  high  ; 
1  will  not  breathe  farewell  to  thee. 

Save  only  in  my  dying  sigh. 
I  know  not  that  I  now  could  bear 

Forever  from  thy  side  to  part, 
And  live  without  a  friend  to  share 

The  treasured  sadness  of  my  heart. 

I  did  not  love,  in  former  years, 

To  leave  thee  solitary  now  ; 
When    sorrow    dims  thine    eyes   with 
tears, 

And  shades  the  beauty  of  thy  brow, 
I'll  share  the  trial  and  the  pain ; 

And  strong  the  furnace  fires  must  be 
To  melt  away  the  willing  chain 

That  binds  a  daughter's  heart  to  thee. 

I  will  not  boast  a  martyr's  might. 

To  leave  my  home  without  a  sigh  ; 
The  dwelling  of  my  past  delight. 

The  shelter  where  I  hoped  to  die. 
In  such  a  duty,  such  an  hour, 

The    weak    are    strong,     the    timid 
brave. 
For  love  puts  on  an  angel's  power. 

And  faith  grows  mightier  than  the 
grave. 

It  was  not  so,  ere  he  we  loved. 

And  vainly  strove    with    Heaven   to 
save. 

Heard  the  low  call  of  death,  and  moved 
With  holy  calmness  to  the  grave. 

Just  at  that  brightest  hour  of  youth. 


When  life  spread  out  before  us  lay, 
And  charmed  us  with  its  tones  of  truth, 
And  color-s  radiant  as  the  day. 

When   morning's    tears    of    joy    were 
shed. 

Or  nature's  evening  incense  rose. 
We  thought  upon  the  grave  with  dread. 

And  shuddered  at  its  dark  repose. 
But  all  is  altered  now  ;  of  death 

The  morning  echoes  sweetly  speak, 
And  like  my  loved  one's  dying  breath. 

The  evening  breezes  fan  my  cheek. 

For  rays  of  heaven,  serenely  bright. 

Have  gilt  the  caverns  of  the  tomb, 
And  I  can  ponder  with  delight 

On    all    its    gathering     thoughts    of 
gloom. 
Then,  mother,  let  us  haste  away 

To  that  blessed  land  to  Israel  given. 
Where  faith,  unsaddened  by  decay, 

Dwells  nearest  to  its  native  heaven. 

We'll  stand  within  the  Temple's  bound, 

In    courts    by   kings    and    prophets 
trod  ; 
We'll     bless    with    tears    the    sacred 
ground. 

And  there  be  earnest  with  our  God  ; 
Where  peace  and  praise  forever  reign. 

And  glorious  anthems  duly  flow. 
Till  seraphs  learn  to  catch  the  strain 

Of  heaven's  devotions  here  below. 

But  where  thou  goest,  I  will  go. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  61 


With  thine  my  earthly  lot  is  cast ; 
In  pain  and  pleasure,  joy  and  woe. 

Will  I  attend  thee  to  the  last. 
That  hour  shall  find  me  by  thy  side, 


And  where  thy  grave  is,  mine  shall 
be; 
Death  can  but  for  a  time  divide 

My  firm  and  faithful  heart  from  thee. 
Adapted. 


To  PoNDEB — To  consider.  |      Anthem — A  holy  song. 


PEKSONAL  RELIGION. 

Political  eminence  and  professional  fame  fade  away  and  die  with 
all  things  earthly  Nothing  of  character  is  really  permanent  .but 
virtue  and  personal  worth.  These  remain.  Whatever  of  excellence 
is  wrought  into  the  soul  itself  belongs  to  both  worlds.  Beal  good- 
ness does  not  attach  itself  merely  to  this  life ;  it  points  to  another 
world.  Political  or  professional  reputation  cannot  last  forever;  but 
a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God  and  man  is  an  inheritance 
for  eternity. 

Religion,  therefore,  is  a  necessary  and  indispensable  element  in 
any  great  hviman  character.  There  is  no  living  without  it.  Ke- 
ligion  is  the  tie  that  connects  man  with  his  Creator,  and  holds  him 
to  His  throne.  If  that  tie  be  aU  sundered,  all  broken,  he  floats 
away,  a  worthless  atom  in  the  universe,  its  proper  attractions  all 
gone,  its  destiny  thwarted,  and  its  whole  future  nothing  but  darkness, 
desolation,  and  death.  A  man  with  no  sense  of  religious  duty  is  he 
whom  the  Scriptures  describe,  in  such  terse  but  terrific  language, 
as  living  "without  God  in  the  world."  Such  a  man  is  out  of  his 
proper  being — out  of  the  circle  of  all  his  duties,  and  out  of  the  circle 
of  all  his  happiness,  and  away,  far,  far  away,  from  the  purposes  of 
his  creation.  Daniel  Webstek. 

Daniel  Webster,  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  New  Hampshire,  Jan.  18, 
1782,  and  died  October  24,  1S52  He  was  for  30  years  in  the  public  service,  as  a  Representative 
in  Congress,  or  Senator,  or  Secretary  of  State      He  was  a  man  of  great  intellectual  powers. 


EMrNENCK — Distinction.  I      To  Thwabt— To  oppose. 

Reputation — Honor.  |     Tebse — Neatness  of  style. 

THE  GREATEST  TREASURE. 

A  THIEF  once  broke  into  a  palace.  His  feet  were  arrested  on  the 
threshold  by  all  the  splendor  that  he  beheld.  There  were  so  many 
valuable  articles  of  silver  and  gold  that  he  could  not  decide  which 
to  choose.  Here  shone  precious  stones  set  in  a  crown  of  gold ; 
while  there  lay  a  diadem  studded  with  most  valuable  diamonds. 
Riches  on  all  sides  wherever  his  eyes  wandered.  From  time  to  time 
he  stretched  forth  his  hands  to  grasp  something,  but  always  hesi- 
tated, as  his  sinful,  avaricious  eyes  fell  on  something  that  seemed 
more  valuable.  Presently  he  spied  another  door;  he  opened  it, 
and  entered  another  chamber.  What  did  he  see  ?  Could  such 
hings  be  real,  or  was  he  di earning?     No;   here  were  displayed  all 


62  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

the  riches  the  world  affords.  Tables,  chairs,  ottomans,  and  vases 
of  solid  gold,  ornamented  with  mjoriads  of  pearls  and  other  precious 
stones.  The  brilliancy  dazzled  the  thief's  eyes;  he  thought  he  was 
in  fairyland.  But  he  did  not  stay  long;  wandered  from  room  to 
room,  lost  in  amazement  and  admiration.  He  could  not  decide 
Avhat  to  choose,  because  he  feared  that  if  he  took  some  of  the  sj)len- 
did  articles  he  might  leave  the  richest.  While  he  was  hesitating  he 
hea  rdioud  footsteps  on  the  stone  jjavement  in  front  of  the  palace. 
His  comrades  called  to  him  to  come  out.  Day  had  dawned,  and  he 
must  fly.  Leaving  all  the  treasures  he  had  beheld,  he  made  his 
escape,  rejoicing  that  he  was  able  to  save  his  life  and  get  out  of  the 
palace  undiscovered.  A  rabbi  once  told  this  to  his  congregation, 
and  as  they  looked  up  into  his  face  inqumngly,  he  continued:  "So 
it  is  Avith  man.  God,  the  Almighty,  gives  him  life.  He  enters  the 
world  -  the  magnificent  palace.  Is  there  anything  more  beautiful 
and  more  valuable  than  life  itself  on  this  wonderful  earth,  with  its 
green  mountains  and  hiUs,  its  sunshine  and  fresh  air?  But  men  fly 
from  one  i^leasare  to  another,  always  seeking  for  more  and  more.  The 
possession  of  one  blessing  only  makes  them  desire  another,  and  fills 
them  with  discontent  if  they  cannot  obtain  it  They  become  satiated, 
and,  like  the  thief,  throw  away  the  pearls  only  to  seize  the  diamonds. 
Virtue  and  justice,  charity  and  humanity,  are  more  to  be  desired 
than  aU  the  pleasures  and  luxuries  of  life.  While  men  spend  their 
time  striving  after  wealth  and  position,  death  overtakes  them,  as  day 
did  the  thief,  unawares,  and  they  are  called  to  appear  before  their 
Creator,  naked  as  they  came  into  the  world,  without  the  treasures 
that  once  lay  within  their  reach,  lamenting  their  lost  hopes,  their 
lost,  wasted  Hves. '  S.  F.  P. 

SHABUOTH. 

Let  praise  and  song  and  psalmody  It  leads  us  to  the  realms  of  light 

la  chorus  rise  to  God  on  high  !  Upon  our  path  through  earthly  night, 

For  He  hath  made  this  glorious  day  !         And  sanctifies  our  life  and  will. 
Be  glad  !     Rejoice  !     Hallelujah  !  Our  duty  ever  to  fulfill. 

From  heaven  came  in  brilliant  rays  Let  praise  and  song  and  psalmody 

The  law,  which  shines  on  all  our  ways;    In  chorus  rise  to  God  on  high  ! 
Its  gentle  light  now  casts  its  beams  For  He  hath  made  this  glorious  day  ! 

On  all  that  dark  and  hidden  seems.  Be  glad  !     Rejoice  !     Hallelujah  I 

James  K.  Gutheim. 

Bev.  James  K.   Gutheim,  minister  of  the  Sinai  Congregation,  New  Orleans,  ia  noted  lor 
his  beautiful  oompositijns  and  trans'ations  of  devotional  hymns. 


SELF-MADE  MEN. 

One  of  the  most  common  excuses  which  young  men  make  for  not 
ti'ying  to  improve  their  talents  is  that  they  are  j^oor,  and  have  no 
means  of  acquiring  an  education,  and  no  rich  or  influential  fi'iends  to 
assist  them  in  life. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  63 

Youii<!f  man!  You  need  no  assistance.  It  would  hinder  rather 
than  facilitate  your  progress.  If  you  have  the  will  and  resolution 
which  you  ought  to  possess,  and  that  manly  self-reliance  which  is  in- 
dispensable to  success  in  every  department  of  life,  you  have  all  the 
assistance  you  need.  With  these  you  may  overcome  every  obstacle, 
and  attain  to  eminence  in  any  position  which  you  may  be  caUed  to  fiU. 

Let  any  young  man  select  from  his  acquaintance  a  number  of  the 
most  prominent  men  of  any  profession — men  who  are  distinguished 
for  talents  or  public  usefulness— and  he  wiU  find  that  they  are  all, 
with  scarcely  any  excei:)tion,  men  Avho  began  the  world  without  a 
dollar.  Look  into  the  public  councils  of  the  nation ;  and  who  are 
they  that  take  the  lead  in  all  its  controlling  interests  ?  They  are 
men  who  began  the  world  with  nothing,  and  have  made  their  own 
fortunes. 

The  rale  is  universal.  It  pervades  our  Courts,  both  State  and 
Federal,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  It  is  true  of  all  the  profes- 
sions. It  is  so  now;  it  has  ever  been  so  since  we  became  a  nation; 
and  will  be  so  while  our  present  institutions  continue.  And  the  his- 
tory of  the  prominent  men  of  this  country  is  but  a  repetition  of  the 
history  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  all  other  countries. 

A  young  man  must  be  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  in  order  to 
bring  out  his  capabilities.  The  struggle  which  is  to  result  in  emi- 
nence is  too  arduous,  and  must  be  continued  too  long,  to  be  encoun- 
tered and  mxintained  voluntarily.  It  must  be  a  struggle,  as  it  were, 
for  life  itself.  He  who  has  a  fortune  to  fall  back  upon  will  soon 
slacken  his  effoiis,  and  finally  retire  from  the  contest. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  question  whether  it  is  desirable  that  a  parent 
should  leave  his  son  any  property  at  all,  if  he  desires  him  to  rise  to 
eminence  in  any  department  of  life.  Said  an  eminent  jurist  to  a 
young  man  of  fortune,  who  wished  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  the 
law,  "  You  will  have  a  large  fortune,  and  I  am  sorry  for  it,  as  it  will 
be  the  means  of  spoiling  a  good  lawyer."  Adapted. 

To  Faoilitat;-; — To  make  easy.  I      Federal — Relating  to  a  league  or  contract. 

Eminence — Loftiness;  reputation.  |      Capabilities— Capacity ;  power. 


AN  ANECDOTE  OF  CREMIEUX. 

In  the  year  182S,  Adolph  Cremieux,  then  thirty-two  years  of  age, 
made  his  first  trip  to  Paris.  Near  Lyons  he  began  a  conversation 
with  a  man  who  was  party  to  a  divorce  case  which  was  to  be  tried  in 
that  city.  The  man  greatly  feared  that  he  would  lose  his  case.  "  I 
have  already  paid  my  lawyer,"  said  he  to  Cremieux,  "  and  that's  what 
bothers  me.  He  looks  at  things  in  the  wrong  light — I  will  be 
defeated." 

"  When  is  your  suit  to  be  tried?"  Cramieux  asked  him,  as  they  left 
the  mail-coach  at  Lyons. 


64  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

"To-day — this  morning." 

"  Very  well ;  go  at  once  to  your  lawyer  and  make  him  return  your 
documents;  I  pledge  myself  to  bring  you  out  of  your  troubles." 

Two  hours  later,  after  he  had  hastily  glanced  at  the  evidence, 
Cremieux  electrified  the  Court  by  a  brilliant  and  fiery  speech.  He 
wins  his  case  and  leaves  the  court-room  immediately  after  the  session, 
in  order  to  proceed  on  his  journey. 

His  client  accompanies  him  to  the  coach  and  offers  him  a  fee  of 
two  thousand  francs.  Cremieux  declines  it,  saying,  "  Give  the  money 
to  the  poor ;  I  don't  want  any  of  it  ;  I  have  conducted  your  case  as 
an  artist,  merely  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  the  journey;  and  now  shake 
hands  —good-night," 

The  Lyons  journals  printed  full  accounts  of  the  occurrence,  and 
before  he  arrived  Paris  had  heard  of  it.  As  he  entered  the  Palace 
of  Justice,  he  received  an  ovation,  and  the  younger  lawyers  held  a 
meeting  and  tendered  him  a  banquet.  Adapted. 

Adolph  Cremieux  was  born  in  the  year  1796,  and  became  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  be- 
longing to  the  French  bar.  He  defended  the  famous  Polignac,  Prime  Minister  of  Charles  X. 
In  1848  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Provisional  Governmen  t  under  Lamartine  and  was  Minis- 
ter of  Justice  and  Religion.  He  is  the  founder  of  the  "Alliance  Israelite  Universelle,"  pleaded 
the  cause  of  his  co-religionists  on  all  occasions  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  there  are  few 
names  more  endeared  to  the  hearts  of  Israelites  than  that  of  the  late  Adolph  Cremieux. 


CARVING  A  NAME. 

I  WROTE  my  name  upon  the  sand,  I  All  these  have  failed.     In  wiser  mood 

And  trusted  it  would  stand  for  aye;  i  I  turn  and  ask  myself,  "  What 
But  soon,  alas!  the  refluent  sea  '<         then?" 

Had  washed  my  feeble  lines  away.       If  I  would  have  my  name  endure, 

I'll  write  it  on  the  hearts  of  men 
I  carved  my  name  upon  the  wood. 

And,  after  years,  returned  again;  "  In  characters  of  living  light, 

I  missed  the  shadow  of  the  tree  From     kindly     words    and'  actions 

That  stretched  of  old  upon  the  plain.  wrought, 

And  these,  beyond  the  reach  of  Time, 
To  solid  marble  next  my  name  j      Shall  live  immortal  as  my  thought." 

I  gave  as  a  perpetual  trust ;  1 

An  earthquake  rent  it  to  its  base,  I  Adapted. 

And  now  it  lies  o'erlaid  with  dust.       | 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  HUMANITY. 

Let  us,  then,  be  of  good  cheer.  From  the  great  Law  of  Progress 
we  may  derive  at  once  our  duties  and  our  encouragements.  Hu- 
manity has  ever  advanced,  urged  by  the  instincts  and  necessities 
implanted  by  God,  thwarted  sometimes  by  obstacles  which  have 
caused  it  for  a  time  a  moment  only,  in  tte  immensity  of  ages — to 
deviate  from  its  true  line,  or  to  seem  to  retreat — but  still  ever  on- 
ward. 

Amidst  the  disappointments  which  may  attend  individual  exer- 
tions, amidst  the  universal  agitations  which  now  surround  us,  let  us 


FOR  TUB  USE  OB^  ISRAELITES.  65 

recognize  this  law,  confident  that  whatever  is  just,  whatever  is 
humane,  whatever  is  good,  whatever  is  true,  according  to  an  immu- 
table ordinance  of  Providence,  in  the  golden  light  of  the  future, 
must  prevail.  With  this  faith,  let  us  place  our  hands,  as  those  of 
little  children,  in  the  great  hand  of  God.  He  will  ever  guide  and 
sustain  us — through  pains  and  jDcrils,  it  may  be — in  the  path  of 
Progress. 

In  the  recognition  of  this  law,  there  are  motives  to  beneficent 
activity,  which  shall  endure  to  the  last  syllable  of  life.  Let  the 
young  embrace  it;  they  shall  find  in  it  an  ever-living  spring.  Let 
the  old  cherish  it  still;  they  shall  derive  from  it  fi-esh  encourage- 
ment. It  shall  give  to  all,  both  old  and  young,  a  new  aj^preciation 
of  their  existence,  a  new  sentiment  of  their  force,  a  new  revelation 
of  their  destiny. 

Be  it,  then,  our  duty  and  our  encouragement  to  live  and  to  labor, 
ever  mindful  of  the  future.  But  let  us  not  forget  the  past.  All 
ages  have  lived  and  labored  for  us.  From  one  has  come  art,  from 
another  jurisprudence,  from  another  the  compass,  from  another  the 
printing  press;  from  all  have  proceeded  priceless  lessons  of  truth 
and  virtue.  The  earliest  and  most  distant  times  are  not  without  a 
present  influence  on  our  daily  lives.  The  mighty  stream  of  Progress, 
though  fed  by  many  tributary  waters  and  hidden  springs,  derives 
something  of  its  force  from  the  earlier  currents  which  leap  and 
sparkle  in  the  distant  mountain  recesses,  over  precipices,  among 
rapids,  and  beneath  the  shade  of  primeval  forests. 

Nor  should  we  be  too  impatient  to  witness  the  fulfillment  of  our 
aspirations.  The  daily  increasing  rapidity  of  discovery  and  im- 
provement, and  the  daily  multiplying  efforts  of  beneficence,  in  later 
years  outstripjDing  the  imaginations  of  the  most  sanguine,  furnish 
well-gTounded  assurance  that  the  advance  of  man  will  be  with  a 
constantly  accelerating  speed.  The  extending  intercourse  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  among  all  the  children  of  the  human 
family,  gives  new  promises  of  the  complete  diffusion  of  Truth,  pene- 
trating the  most  distant  places,  clearing  away  the  darkness  of  night, 
and  exposing  the  hideous  forms  of  slavery,  of  war,  of  wrong,  which 
must  be  hated  as  soon  as  they  are  clearly  seen. 

Cultivate,  then,  a  just  moderation.  Learn  to  reconcile  order  with 
change,  stability  vntli  progress.  This  is  a  wise  conservatism;  this 
is  a  wise  reform.  Rightly  understanding  these  terms,  who  would 
not  be  a  Conservative  ?  who  would  not  be  a  Reformer  ? — a  conserva- 
tive of  all  that  is  good,  a  reformer  of  all  that  is  evil ;  a  conservative 
of  knowledge,  a  reformer  of  ignorance ;  a  conservative  of  truths  and 
principles  whose  seat  is  the  bosom  of  God,  a  reformer  of  laws  and 
institutions  which  are  but  the  wicked  or  imperfect  work  of  man;  a 
conservative  of  that  divine  order  which  is  found  only  in  movement, 
a  reformer  of  these  earthly  wrongs  and  abuses  which  spring  from  a 


66  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

violation  of  the  great  law  of  Human  Progress.  Blending  these  two 
characters  in  one,  let  us  seek  to  be,  at  the  same  time,  Reforming 
Conservatives,  and  Conservative  Reformers.  Charles  Sumnek. 

Chahles  SujrNER  was  boru  in  Boston,  January  6,  1811,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1830.  and  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1834.  He  was  chosen  Senator  for  Massachusetts  in  1851, 
and  noted  for  his  learning,  his  eloquence  and  his  peaceful  sentiments  against  the  war  system 
of  nations;  and  all  institutions  of  slavery  he  assailed  with  his  utmost  rigor. 


JuBispRDDENCE — Sciencc  of  law.  I      To  Accelerate — To  hasten. 

Pbimeval  — Original,  that  which  was  at  first.        Conservatism — The  desire  of  preserving  the 

To  Outstrip — To  out-go.  |  established  laws  and  customs. 


JEWISH  EMANCIPATION. 

(Maiden    Speech    of  Alderman  David    Solomons,  in    the  British   Parliament, 

July  18,  1851.) 
"  I  SHOULD  not  have  presumed  to  address  you,  sir,  and  this  house, 
in  the  pecuhar  position  in  which  I  am  placed,  had  it  not  been  that 
I  have  been  so  pointedly  appealed  to  by  the  honorable  gentleman 
who  has  just  sat  down.  I  hope  some  allowance  will  be  made  for  the 
novelty  of  my  position,  and  for  the  responsibility  that  I  feel  in  the 
unusual  course  which  I  have  judged  it  right  to  actopt;  but  I  beg  to 
assure  you,  sir,  and  this  house,  that  it  is  far  fi*om  my  desire  to  do 
anything  that  may  appear  contumacious  or  presumptuous.  Re- 
turned, as  I  have  been,  by  a  large  constituency,  and  under  no  dis- 
ability, and  believing  that  I  have  fulfilled  aU  the  requirements  of  the 
law,  I  thought  that  I  should  not  be  doing  justice  to  my  own  position 
as  an  Englishman  or  a  gentleman,  did  I  not  adopt  that  course  which 
I  believed  to  be  right  and  proper,  and  appear  on  this  floor,  not 
meaning  any  disrespect  to  you,  sir,  or  to  this  house,  but  in  defence 
of  my  own  rights  and  privileges,  and  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
the  constituents  who  have  sent  me  here.  Having  said  this,  I  beg  to 
state  to  you,  sir,  that  whatever  be  the  decision  of  the  house,  I  shall 
abide  by  it,  provided  there  be  just  sufficient  force  to  make  me  feel 
that  I  am  acting  under  coercion.  I  shall  not  now  further  intrude 
myself  upon  the  house,  except  to  say  that  I  trust  and  hope  that,  in 
the  doubtful  state  of  the  law,  such  as  it  has  been  described  to  be  by 
the  eminent  lawyers  who  addressed  you,  no  final  order  or  resolution 
in  reference  to  me  or  my  constituents  wiU  be  adopted  without  giving 
me  the  fairest  opportunity  of  addi-essing  this  house,  and  stating 
before  the  house  and  before  the  countrj'^  what  I  believe  to  be  the 
duty  of  this  house.  I  hope  this  house  will  not  refuse  that  which  no 
coui-t  ever  refuses  to  the  meanest  subject  of  the  realm,  but  wiU  hear 
me  before  its  final  decision  is  announced.  L.  I.  Ch. 

Ald.  David  Solomons  was  a  pious  Israelite  and  a  native  of  England,  and  by  profession  a 
lawyer.  He  was  elected  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  became  M.  P.  for  Greenwich,  and  made  a 
Brt.  by  Queen  Victoria.  He  was  also  during  a  number  of  years  president  of  the  London 
and  Westminster  Bank,  being  the  largest  Joint  Stock  Bank  in  the  world. 


Contumacious— Obstinate.  I      Realm — A  king's  dominion. 

Coercion -Penal  restraint;  check.  |      Baronet — A  title  of  honor  that  is  hereditary. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


6T 


Ah,  Life  is  like  the  ocean  wide, 
It  has  the  slorm,  the  calm  and  tide, 
It  has  the  lighlnmg  and  the  gale, 
And  o'er  its  deep  do  mortals  sail. 

And  Fitith,  this  is  the  vessel  brave, 
In  which  we  breast  the  stormy  wave; 
The  hfe-boat.  Truth,  lies  on  the  deck 
To  save  us  from  a  fearful  wreck. 

The  Compass,  God,  does  never  change. 
Although  the  waves  with  fury  range; 
The  pilot,  Virtue,  knows  the 'way. 
And  guides  us  safe  through  foam  and 
spray. 

The  mainmast,  Horn,  lifts  high  its  head; 
On  it  the  sails  of  Pe  tee  are  spread; 
The  Passions  are  the  seamen  bold, 
And  to  our  will  must  we  them  hold. 

For  if  they  e'er  their  bonds  do  break, 
Destruction's  course  the  ship  will  take, 
And  o'er  the  sea  of  life  we  steer. 
Full  many  a  wave  its  crest  does  rear. 


LIFE. 

;  And  many  a  ship  has  found  its  grave 
Upon  the  stormy  ocean  wave; 
For  Envy's  billows,  white  with  foam. 
The  trackless  sea  of  life  do  roam. 


They  rush  before  rude  Discord's  blast. 
Which  from  the  shores  of  Hate  outcast. 
But  the  whirlpool  of  Vice  is  the  worst 

of  all 
The  dangers  that  with  fear  appall. 

The  current  of  Indolence  to  it  doth  lead, 
Which    rushes     along   with     frightful 

speed, 
And  all  o'er  life's  proud  sea  must  sail, 
And  all  must  battle  with  storm  and  gale. 

And  though  the  sky  is  black  with  clouds 
And  the  wind  doth  roar  through  all  the 

shrouds. 
If  we  make  our  Pilot  and  Compass  the 

guide, 
The  foaming  waves  in  safety  we'll  ride. 
M.  Lehmayer. 


Compass— An  instrument  whereby  mariners  I      Pilot — An  officer  who  steers  the  ship  in  and 
steer.  out  of  harbor. 

Indolence — Laziness. 


JEWISH  RESERVE. 

The  social  coherence  of  the  Jews,  which  continues  in  spite  of  the 
acquired  civil  equality,  still  puzzles  the  Grentile  observer. .  To  the 
theological  mind  it  argues  a  divine  purpose  with  the  chosen,  but 
temporarily  rejected,  race;  to  the  philosopher,  the  astounding 
pertinacity  of  traits  of  character;  to  those  hostile  to  the  Jews  it  is  a 
proof  of  a  secret  conspiracy  against  the  welfare  of  their  Christian 
nations;  and  the  most  general  impression  is  that  pride  of  race  lies 
at  the  bottom  of  the  strange  fact.  Even  Mr.  James  Freeman  Clarke 
has  no  other  exjjlanation  to  offer.  He  says :  "  Hereditary  and  ancestral 
pride  separated  them  fthe  Jews),  and  still  separates  them,  from  the 
rest  of  mankind." 

How  singular,  indeed,  that  when  the  Jew  attempts  to  quit  his 
reserve  and  mix  freely  with  his  neighbors,  he  is  rej^elled  and  un- 
ceremoniously shown  back  to  his  own  tribe ;  and,  if  he  keeps  there, 
he  is  accused  of  hereditary  and  ancestral  j)ride  !  We  need  not  strive 
for  an  explanation  to  great  depths;  the  reasons  lie  much  nearer  the 
surface ;  so  near,  indeed,  that  even  "  he  who  runs  "  may  see  thejn, 
perchance  in  the  accuser  much  more  than  in  the  accused 

Be  it  remembered  that  most  of  the  heads  of  families  are  of 
foreign  bii-th,  and  were  of  mature  age  when  they  pitched  their  tents 


08  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

on  this  free  soil.  They  had  contracted  their  social  habits,  whicli  to 
abandon  they  saw  no  reason  whatever.  They  readily  fell  in  line  for 
the  discharge  of  their  civic  duties;  but  their  private  life,  their  domes- 
tic customs,  which  were  of  the  German-Jewish  type,  they  could  not 
all  at  once  change  without  causing  a  rent  in  their  most  intimate  re- 
lations. These  are  far  too  precious  for  such  exjDeriments.  People 
whose  strongest  affections  centre  in  their  homes  are  naturally 
tenacious  of  their  manners  and  usages;  and  none  should  understand 
this  better  than  those  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  stock,  who  themselves 
carry  their  household  gods  with  them  wherever  they  go.  Besides, 
recreation  gifter  the  exacting  labors  of  the  day  a  man  can  find  no- 
where except  in  places  where  he  may  move  in  perfect  ease  and  fi'ee- 
dom;  and  these,  again,  the  society  of  his  equals  in  temperament, 
language,  and  taste,  alone  will  aflord  him.  The  Jews  do  not  differ 
in  this  respect  from  other  foreigners,  all  of  whom  show  a  decided 
preference  for  their  own  circles. 

In  the  civilized  countries  of  the  old  world  the  seclusion  of  the 
Jews  has  almost  entirely  disappeared,  and  it  would  cease  here  much 
sooner  but  for  the  ecclesiasticism  which  enters  so  largely  into  the 
formation  of  American  society.  Christianity,  although  not  legally 
dominant,  is  yet  practically  so.  Where  the  spirit  has  departed,  the 
phraseology  stiU  remains.  Everywhere  the  tenets  of  that  faith  are 
assured  as  beyond  question,  making  conversation  often  embarrassing 
to  the  dissenting  Israelite.  No  matter  how  much  or  how  little  the 
Gentile  believes  of  the  dogmas,  their  assumption  does  not  incon- 
venience him;  no  need  for  him  to  guard  against  the  charge  of 
supineness  and  insincerity,  to  which,  however,  the  Hebrew  lays  him- 
self open  if  he  fails  to  record  his  dissent.  Nor  is  it  the  dogma  alone 
which  enjoys  such  a  pre-eminence.  The  laws  of  morality,  the 
motives  of  kindness,  the  graces  of  conduct,  are  also  marked  with  the 
device  of  the  Church.  We  are  not  speaking  now  in  the  way  of 
censure ;  we  simply  state  facts  which  are  potent  to  all.  But  let  the 
candid  reader  realize  for  a  moment  the  feelings  with  which  an 
Israelite  must  hear  every  virtue  under  heaven — manliness,  candor, 
honor,  humility,  love,  forbearance,  even  charity  and  the  sanctities  of 
home,  nay,  courtesy  itself — a  matter  in  which  the  coarse  Norseman  was 
the  disciple  of  the  polished  and  courtly  Oriental — stamped  with  a 
name  that  degrades  him  and  makes  him  appear  a  graceless  intiaider 
into  the  circle  of  the  elect — and  the  problem  of  Hebrew  retirement 
will  lose  much  of  its  mystery.  It  will  then  appear  why  the  Hebrew-- 
philanthropist  does  not  yet  take  that  personal  share  in  the  benevolent 
labors  of  his  fellow-citizens  which  he  is  most  williQg  and  unquestion- 
ably able  to  bear.  Where  his  money  is  welcome  his  faith  is  pro- 
sci^ibed.  Dear  and  near  to  his  heart  as  many  of  the  beneficent 
efforts  for  the  amelioration  of  the  conditions  of  the  poor  are,  he  can 
do  no  more  than  aid  them  with  his  purse,  for  he  knows  that  his  just 
sensibihties  will  not  be  consulted.     We  readily  admit  that  often  no 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  69 

insult  is  intended,  but  that  does  not  take  the  sting'  from  a  reproach, 
pronounced  or  implied.  If  long  habit  is  pleaded  for  extenuation, 
our  answer  is:  The  time  has  surely  come  to  conquer  it.  Some  think 
that  the  Jew  himself  ought,  by  abandoning  his  reserve,  to  remove 
the  obstacle  in  his  way.  That  may  be  so,  l>ut  such  missions  do  not 
ordinarily  inspire  men  with  the  courage  to  face  prejudice  We  do 
not  for  a  moment  pretend  that  the  Jews  are  blameless  in  that  re- 
spect, and  never  indulge  in  religious  arrogance.  We  have  no  excuse 
for  them,  beyond  this,  that  the  fault  is  a  little  less  reprehensible  in 
those  who  have  suffered  so  mvich  for  their  faith's  sake.  It  certainly 
is  for  the  dominant  religion,  rather  than  for  that  of  a  small  minority, 
to  lead  the  way  in  this  very  desirable  reform. 

If  social  alienation  is  undesirable  on  general  grounds,  it  is  espe- 
cially so  for  this  reason,  that  it  prevents  both  Jews  and  Christians  from 
correcting  their  views  of  their  respective  religions,  a  thing  as  yet 
much  needed  on  either  side.  Nothing  brings  mail  nearer  to  man 
than  the  sacred  community  of  good  work ;  nothing  str-engthens  faith 
in  the  Father  more  surely  than  the  growing  sense  of  the  brotherhood 
of  His  children.  Probably  unbelief  itself  will  not  object  to  be  con- 
quered by  the  logic  of  such  facts.  If  churches  and  synagogues  must 
needs  preach  the  same  truth  under  different  aspects,  and  worship 
God  in  diverse  tongues,  may  they  not  learn  to  praise  Him  also  in  the 
universal  language  of  good  deeds  on  the  broad  fields  of  our  common 
humanity  ?  Meanwhile,  we  shall  do  what  in  ujs  liesto  make  ourselves 
known,  not  only  outwardly,  but  inwardly  too  ;  we  shall  let  the  reader 
into  all  the  mysteries  of  our  faith,  as  far  as  we  ourselves  know-  them. 
For,  after  all,  the  chief  interest  which  the  Hebrew  race  offers  to  the 
eye  of  the  student  is  its  religion.  As  the  propounders,  witnesses  and 
soldiers  of  a  new  faith,  the  Jews  appeared  in  history  and  have  stead- 
fastly pursued  their  course,  from  the  call  of  their  first  father,  "  the 
friend  of  God,"  in  the  plains  of  ancient  Chaldea,  to  this  day,  when 
their  presence  is  felt  in  so  many  lands.  Through  light  and  darkness, 
tlu'ough  victory  and  defeat,  through  glory  and  shame,  their  faces  re- 
mained firmly  set  toward  a  goal  which  the  ancient  seers  planted  on 
the  heights  of  a  redeemed  and  perfected  humanity.  Their  contri- 
butions to  the  intellectual  and  industrial  achievements  of  the  past 
were  of  no  mean  importance,  but  they  all  had  their  root  in  the  re- 
ligious genius  which  they  developed,  and  it  is  their  religious  mission 
from  w'hich  they  derive  to  this  day  both  the  right  and  the  duty  to 
remain  outside  the  dominant  religions.  Dr.  G-.  Gottheil. 

[Adapted  from  an  article  in  the   "  N.  A.  R."  by  Dr.  Gottheil,  minister  of 
"Emanu-El,"  New  York.] 


Keserve— Modesty.  '  Ecclesiastic — Relating  to  church. 
Coherence — Resisting  separation.  j      Dogma— Established  principle. 
Pertinacity — Stubbornness.  i  Pre-eminence — Superiority. 
Tha'.t — A  touch.  ;  To  Pboscribe — To  censure. 
Hereditary— By  right  of  inheritance.  j  Dominant— Presiding ;  prevailing. 
Te.vaciocs -Inclined  to  hold  fast.  i  Alienation — Change    of  property  or  afifec- 
PHRASEOLOOT— Peculiar  in  expression.  1  tion. 


70  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

FHIENDSHIP. 

How  sad,  without  a  friend  to  be,  ;  Some  one  he  needs  to  give  him  cheer, 

While  sailing  o'er  life's  stormy  sea,         j  To  calm  his  mind,  dispel  his  fear. 
For  without  friends  man  cannot  steer,     j  To  help  him  through  the  tempest's  blasts 
As  dangers  do  too  oft  appear.  To  aid  him  till  the  storm  is  past, 

]  To  mind  the  compass — trim  the  sail, 
When  in  the  gale  his  vessel  reels,  |  And  with  him  weather  out  the  gale. 

When  thunder  loudly  o'er  him  peals,      \ 

When  in  the  air  the  lightnings  flash,       j  In  short,  we  see  man  needs  a  friend 
When  masts  are  shivered  with  a  crash,  |  To  stand  by  him  until  life's  end; 
When  waters  swell  and  whirlwinds  roar,  ;  But  in  the  world  true  friends  are  rare,. 
And  breakers  sound  far  from  the  shore;    Friends  sail  with  man  when  all  is  fair,. 

But  when  clouds  lower  o'er  his  head, 
When    rr  und  him  fly  the  foam   and  I  He  seeks   his  friends,  who  then   have 

spray,  I  fled. 

And  succor  is  too  far  away,  j  Yet  true  friends  stay,  who  bid  him  know 

And  when  for  help  he  loudly  cries,  j  That  they  in  danger  friendship  show. 

And  to  his  shouts , no  voice  replies;  !  Jl.  Lehmayer. 


TALMUDIC  ALLEGORY. 

,THE  SONGS  OF  THE  NIGHT. 

As  David,  in  his  youthful  days,  was  tending  his  flocks  on  Bethle- 
hem's plains,  God's  spirit  came  upon  him,  and  his  ears  were  opened, 
and  understanding  enlightened,  that  he  might  comprehend  the  songs 
of  the  night.  The  heavens  proclaimed  the  glory  of  God;  the  glitter- 
ing stars  all  formed  one  chorus;  their  harmonious  melody  resounded 
on  earth,  and  the  sweet  fullness  of  their  voices  vibrated  to  its  utmost 
bounds. 

"  Light  is  the  countenance  of  the  Eternal."  says  the  setting  sun. 
"I  am  the  hem  of  His  garments,"  responded  the  rosj^tintof  twilight. 

The  clouds  gathered  and  said,  "We  are  His  nocturnal  tent;"  and 
the  waters  in  the  clouds,  and  the  hollow  voice  of  the  thunder, 
joined  in  the  chorus:  "  The  voice  of  the  Eternal  is  upon  the  waters; 
the  God  of  glory  thundereth,  the  Lord  is  ui^on  many  waters."  "He 
did  fly  upon  my  wings,"  whispered  the  wind ;  and  the  silent  air  re- 
plied, "I  am  the  breath  of  God,  the  aspiration  of  His  benign 
presence." 

*'  We  hear  the  songs  of  praise,"  said  the  parched  earth;  "  all  around 
is  praise;  I  alone  am  silent  and  mute!"  And  the  falling  dew  re- 
plied, "  I  will  nourish  thee,  so  that  thou  shalt  be  refreshed  and  re- 
joice, and  thine  infants  shall  bloom  like  the  young  rose." 

"Joyfully  we  bloom,"  replied  the  refreshed  meadows.  The  full 
ears  of  corn  waved  as  they  sang,  "  We  are  the  blessings  of  God;  the 
hosts  of  God  against  famine." 

"We  bless  you  fi-om  above,"  said  the  moon;  "we  bless  you,"  re- 
sponded the  stars;  and  the  grasshopper  chirped,  "  Me,  too,  He  blesses 
in  the  pearly  dewdrop." 

"He  quenched  my  thirst,"  said  the  rose;  "  and  refreshed  me,"  con- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  71 

tinued  tlie  stag;  "  and  grants  us  our  food,"  said  the  beasts  of  the 
forest;  "and  clothes  my  lambs,"  gratefully  sang  the  sheep..  "He 
heard  me,"  croaked  the  raven,  "  when  I  was  forsaken  and  alone." 
And  the  turtle  dove  cooed;  and  the  swallow  and  all  the  bu'ds  joined 
in  their  song.  "  We  have  found  our  nests;  we  dwell  on  the  aJtar  of 
the  Lord,  and  sleep  under  the  shadow  of  His  wing  in  tranquillity  and 
eace." 
"  And  peace,"  replied  the  night,  and  echo  prolonged  the  sound, 
when  chanticleer  awoke  the  dawn,  and  crowed,  "  Open  the  portals, 
the  gates  of  the  world !  the  King  of  glory  approaches.  Awake,  arise, 
ye  sons  of  men !  Give  praises  and  thanks  to  the  Lord ;  for  the  King 
of  glory  approacheth  !  " 

The  sun  arose,  and  David  awoke  from  his  melodious  rapture..     But, 
as  long  as  he  lived,  the  strains  of  creation's  harmony  remained  in  his 
soul,  and  daily  he  recalled  them  from  the  strings  of  his  harp. 
J.  R. 

Chanticleer — The  cock ;  the  male  to  the  hen. 


HASTY  WOKDS. 

How  many,  many  words  are  said  How  tender  othei's  feel. 

Which  we  would  quick  recall,  ,  The  passions  give  to  language  rise 

And  substitute  kind  words  instead  Which  we  should  keep  if  we  were  wise. 

Had  we  a  chance  at  all. 
A  hasty  word  may  wound  the  soul;  [  Men  may  forgive  a  hasty  wrong. 

To  guard  such  words  is  self-control.        I      But  words  are  not  forgot ; 

The  memory  takes  the  words  along, 
A  man,  before  he  speaks,  should  think,  '■      And  time  recalls  them  not. 

The  passions  should  not  reign;  Deliberately  men  will  not  say 

A  hasty  word  may  break  a  link  What  time  can  never  wipe  away. 

Within  the  social  chain. 
The  most  sublime  relations  may  Before  we  speak  we  should  reflect, 

By  hasty  words  drop  in  a  day.  ,      And  guard  the  passions  well; 

A  word  is  cause,  cause  brings  effect, 
The  wounds  which    hasty  words  inflict       And  every  word  will  tell. 

Will  never,  never  heal;  The  language  is  at  least  a  waste 

We  would  not  wound,  could  we  predict   Which  comes  to  life  by  hate  or  haste. 

B.  J.  Ch. 


FROM  DARKNESS  UNTO  LIGHT. 

The  great  problems  of  death  and  immortality  have  in  all  ages 
attracted  a  large  share  of  thought.  In  the  trvith  and  reality  of  the 
ssues  ittvolved,  all  mankind  have  a  common  interest.  Men,  unaided 
by  revelation,  have  sought  to  determine  the  nature  of  our  final  des- 
tiny by  appealing  to  the  teachings  of  philosophy,  and  although  their 
conclusions  have  occasionally  verged  upon  the  truth,  still  they  can, 
at  best,  only  be  regarded  as  the  uncertain  ventures  of  speculation. 
Revelation  clearly  shows  forth  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  of  immor- 
tality. Nevertheless,  men  have  complained  that  the  Bible  says 
nothing  of  a  hereafter.     Some  have  striven  to  apologize  for  what 


72  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

appeared  a  weighty  omission.  Others,  again,  have  sought  tor 
reasons  to  justify  the  wisdom  which  they  imagined  exists  in  the 
exclusion  of  all  mention  of  a  future  world  from  the  sacred  page. 
But  if  we  turn  to  the  Bible  we  shall  find  that  not  only  is  the  truth 
of  a  future  existence  distinctly  asserted,  but  Scripture  goes  further, 
and  even  sets  forth  the  nature  of  the  world  beyond  the  gTave.  It  is 
not  to  be  expected,  however,  that  a  subject  which  occupies  but  a 
very  small  place  in  its  connection  with  the  duties  and  obligations  of 
man's  daily  existence  should  be  so  fuUy  treated  as  the  questions  of 
morals  and  religion,  with  which  our  daily  life  is  identified.  The 
information  which  the  Bible  gives  concerning  another  world  must 
appear  meagre  in  comparison  with  principles  of  right  and  wrong,  of 
human  failings  and  transgressions,  of  man's  duty  to  his  God,  his 
feUow  creatures,  and  himself.  The  sacred  ^\Titers  lift  but  a  corner 
of  the  veil  which  hides  the  Unseen  from  our  view,  and  let  into  our 
dark  abode  but  a  few  rays  of  the  coming  glory.  But  enough  is  told 
to  assure  us  of  its  reality,  and  to  create  expectation  and  desrre  in 
our  breasts,  till  death  shall  rend  the  veil  and  mortality  be  swallowed 
up  in  life.  Then,  perhaps,  we  shaD  "  see  God,"  and  comjirehend  the 
Divine  nature.  We  shall  be  able  to  realize  the  greatness  of  the 
reward*  which  has  been  reserved  for  the  righteous.  The  glories  of 
the  reward  could  only  suffer  by  comparison  with  things  of  this 
world. 

But  we  know  something  of  the  nature  and  duration  of  that  reward  ; 
the  only  j)oints  on  which  we  could  seek  to  be  enlightened.  We  know 
that  the  righteous  w^ill  be  "  received  in  glory  ;"  "  everlasting  joy  ;" 
that  they  will  enjoy  "pleasures  for  evermore"  at  the  "right  hand" 
of  God  ;  that  God  is  to  be  to  them  "  a  crown  of  glorj-  and  a  diadem 
of  beauty  ;"  and  that  they  "  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment, and  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 

King  David's  conception  of  the  nature  of  our  reward  is  indeed 
sublime  :  "I  shall  be  satisfied  in  awaking  in  Thy  likeness.'''  What- 
ever be  the  state  of  the  soul  while  the  body  is  in  the  grave,  what- 
ever be  the  nature  of  our  sleep,  the  awakening  fi'om  it  will  be  a 
revelation  of  infinite  glory.  By  what  simile  can  we  bring  it  home 
to  the  mind  '?  By  what  figure  cam  we  realize  it  ?  Were  we  en- 
tombed aUve,  and  after  having  been  left  to  death  and  despair,  we 
were  to  be  suddenly  borne  upward  into  the  dazzling  sunlight  and 
to  the  arms  of  our  relatives,  our  joy  would  indeed  be  greai.  But 
who  shall  describe  the  infinite  glory  of  man  awaking  in  the  perfect 
likeness  of  his  Heavenly  Father  ?  What  Micah  beheld  when  he 
said  :  "  I  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  His  throne,  and  all  the  hosts  of 
heaven  standing  on  His  right  hand  and  on  His  left ;"  what  Isaiah 
beheld  when  he  said  :  "  1  saw  also  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne 
high  and  lifted  up,  and  His  train  filled  the  temple.  Above  it  stood 
the  seraphim   ...  and  one  called  unto  another  and  said.  Holy,  holy. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


73 


holy  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts  ;"  what  Ezekiel  beheld  when  he  tells  us  : 
"  I  looked,  and  behold,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the 
cherubim  . . .  and  the  court  was  full  of  the  brightness  of  the  Lord's 
glory."  All  this,  all  indeed  which  the  most  favored  of  the  prophets 
were  permitted  to  see,  must  fade  into  nothing  in  comparison  with 
the  glory  of  the  future  ;  for  has  not  one  of  God's  messengers  told 
us  :  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  O,  Grod,  beside  Thee,  what  He  has  pre- 
pared for  him  that  waiteth  on  Him.'' 

How  full,  how  l)right  are  the  evidences  of  a  future  world  ;  how 
weak  the  arguments  which  skepticism  arrays  against  it  ! 

The  evidence  of  ScrijDture  leaves  room  for  only  one  objection,  if  it 
may  be  so  called  ;  and  this  arises  from  the  very  greatness  of  its  truth. 
To  think  of  ourselves  as  existing  throvigh  all  time,  as  surviving  the 
giant  mountains  of  our  world,  as  exempted  from  every  imj^erfection 
of  our  nature,  as  being  clothed  with  an  angel's  glory,  and  enjoying 
eternal  happiness,  appears  a  blessedness  almost  too  great.  But  to 
all  is  this  blessedness  offered.  And  what  is  its  j)rice  ?  Simply  the 
price  embraced  in  the  words  of  the  preacher  :  "  Fear  C4od  and  keep 
His  commandments,  for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man." 

Reader,  we  have  shown  you  but  one  side  of  the  picture— the 
bright  one.  We  have  endeavored  to  set  befoi'e  you  some  of  the 
blessed  promises  of  Scripture  for  the  practice  of  righteousness.  But 
the  book  which  speaks  of  the  rewards  of  virtue,  tells  us  with  equil 
precision  of  the  punishments  of  vice.  Let  us,  however,  practice 
virtue  not  from  hope  of  reward,  or  from  fear  of  punishment,  but  for 
its  own  sake  ;  and  be  of  those  who  serve  our  Master  "  not  for  the 
sake  of  receiving  a  reward."  Let  us  remember  that  the  priceless 
blessing  of  a  good  conscience  waits  upon  the  performance  of  duty  ; 
and  whatever  be  our  struggles  and  self  denials  in  the  course  of 
religion,  we  are  but  fitting  ourselves  for  that  glorious  day  when  we 
shall  pass  "  from  darkness  into  light."  L.  J.  A. 


Kevelation — Communication  of  sacred  and 
mysterious  truths. 

Firmament — The  sky;  the  heavens. 

Diadem— A  tiara;  a  mark  of  royality  worn 
around  the  head. 


Cherubim  (Hebrew)  —  Plural  of  cherub; 
a  celestial  sxjirit. 

Seraphim  iHebrew — Plural  of  seraph. 

Skeptic— One  who  doubts;  or  pretends  to 
doubt  everything. 


LIGHT  OUT  OF  DARKNESS. 


God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform  ; 

He  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea, 
And  rides  upon  the  storm. 

Deep  in  unfathomable  mines 

Of  never- failing  skill, 
He  treasures  up  his  bright  designs, 

And  works  His  sovereign  will. 


Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take  ! 

The  clouds  ye  so  much  dread 
Are  big  with  mercy,  and  shall  break 

In  blessings  on  your  head. 

Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense. 
But  trust  Him  for  His  grace  ; 

Behind  a  frowning  providence 
He  hides  a  smiling  face. 


74  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


His  purposes  will  ripen  fast, 
Unfolding  every  hour  ; 

The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sweet  will  be  the  flower. 


Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err, 
And  scan  His  work  in  vain  ; 

God  is  His  own  interpreter,- 
And  He  will  make  it  plain. 

Adapted. 


HKBREW  CHARACTERISTICS. 

My  son,  give  God  all  honor  and  tlie  gratitude  which  is  his  dwe ;  for 
He  it  is  who  made  thee  and  brought  thee  into  this  world.  Thou 
hast  need  of  Him,  but  He  needs  thee  not.  Put  no  trust  in  thy  mere 
corporeal  well-doing  here  below !  JVJany  a  one  has  lain  himself  down 
to  sleep  at  nightfall,  but  at  morn  risen  not  again;  many  a  one  hath 
gone  to  his  couch  at  nightfall  sound  in  health  and  of  hisih  cheerful- 
ness, and  has  waked  up  to  agonies  and  terrors.  Fear  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  thy  fathers;  fail  never  at  eventide  to  pronounce  the  great 
word  wherein  Israel  is  wont  to  proclaim  that  He  is,  and  that  He  is 
One,  and  One  only;  at  dawn  fail  never  to  read  the  appointed  prayer 
see  that  thou  guard  well  thy  soul's  holiness;  let  the  thought  of  tby 
heart  be  saintly  when  thou  liest  waking  in  the  bed,  and  profane  not 
thy  soul,  even  in  the  hour  of  most  intimate  communing  with  others, 
with  words  of  impurity.  Be  thou  cleanly  in  things  that  concern  the 
body;  wash  well  thy  hands  ere  the  morning  be  far  gone;  and  when 
thou  seest  that  they  are  clean  and  pure,  fold  them  then  in  prayer. 
Praise  thy  Creator  when  thouputtest  on  thy  clothing,  and  when  thou 
takest  the  nourishment  that  supports  life.  Be  among  the  first  to 
reach  the  house  of  God;  enter  it  with  reverential  awe.  Think  well 
before  whom  it  is  thou  standest  there.  When  thou  goest  to  the 
place  where  the  law  and  the  truth  are  studied,  let  no  idle  word  pass 
thy  lips;  note  well  in  mind  the  words  of  the  sages  there;  deem  not 
that  anything  there  is  small  and  of  slight  account,  and  beware  that 
thou  never  allow  thyself  to  look  down  on  any  one.  Visit  the  sick  and 
suffering  man,  and  let  thy  countenance  be  cheerful  when  he  sees  it, 
but  not  so  that  thou  oppress  the  helpless  one  with  gaiety.  Comfort 
those  that  are  in  grief;  let  piety  where  thou  seest  it  affect 
thee  even  to  tears;  and  then  it  may  be  that  thou  wilt  be  spared 
the  grief  of  weeping  over  the  death  of  thy  children.  Respect  the 
poor  man,  by  gifts,  whose  hand  he  knows  not  of;  and  when  he  eats 
at  thy  table,  gaze  not  on  him  too  much,  lest  he  doubt  his  welcome; 
be  not  deaf  to  his  beseechings,  deal  not  hard  words  out  to  him,  and 
give  him  of  thy  richest  food  when  he  sits  at  meal  with  thee.  When 
thou  prayest,  be  lowly  and  think  thyself  nothing  before  the  Almighty, 
and  use  all  thy  soul's  energy  and  force  to  hold  in  check  what  evil 
desire  there  may  be  in  thine  heart.  Greet  every  man  pleas- 
antly, speak  truth  only,  forget  not  modesty,  and  in  thy  eating  be 
moderate ;  rather  feed  thyself  with  the  vilest  weed  than  make  thyself 
dependent  on   other   human  beings;   and   seek   not  greedily  after 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  75 

power  and  pre-eminence  in  the  world.  JVom  a  wicked  neighbor, 
from  a  person  of  ill-fame,  see  that  thou  keej)  aloof,  and  spend  not  much 
of  thy  time  among  people  who  speak  ill  of  their  brother-man;  be  not 
as  the  fly  that  is  always  seeking  sick  and  wounded  places;  and  tell 
not  of  the  faults  and  failings  of  those  about  thee.  Take  no  one  to 
wife  unworthy  to  be  thy  life's  partner,  and  keep  thy  sons  close  to  the 
study  of  divine  things.  Dare  not  to  rejoice  when  thine  enemy  comes 
to  the  ground;  but  give  him  food  when  he  hungers;  be  on  thy  guard 
lest  thou  give  pdin  ever  to  the  widow  and  the  orphan ;  beware  lest 
thou  ever  set  thyself  up  to  be  both  witness  and  judge  against  an- 
other; and  when  thou  passest  judgment,  see  that  thou  invoke  counsel 
from  another  mind.  Never  enter  thy  house  with  abrupt  and 
startling  step,  and  bear  not  thyself  so  that  those  who  dwell  under  thy 
roof  feel  dread  when  in  thy  presence.  Purge  thy  soul  of  angry  pas- 
sion, that  inheritance  of  fools;  love  wise  men,  and  strive  to  know 
more  and  more  of  the  works  and  the  ways  of  the  Creator.  Forget 
not  that  the  hope  of  pious  souls  is  that  concealed  paradise  prepared 
by  God  before  the  foundations  of  the  world;  that  consecrated  place 
where  pure  spirits  and  holy  enter  at  last  into  their  rest.      L.  Zunz. 

Dr  Leopold  Zunz  a  native  of  Detmold,  Germany,  a  Jewish  divine  of  great  eminence,  was 
born  in  1794,  studied  philology  at  Berlin,  was  preacher  at  the  Berlin  Synagogue  from  1820  to 
1822,  was  editor  of  the  Spenersche  Zeitimg,  one  of  the  principal  journals  of  Berlin,  from  1824 
to  1832,  and  was  head  of  the  Jewish  Serainary  for  teachers  in  Berlin  from  1839  to  1850.  He  is 
regarded  as  having  been  the  first  in  Germany  to  treat  Hebrew  literature  in  a  scientific 
manner,  and  the  Jewish  community  of  Berlin  has  bestowed  on  him  an  annuity,  in  respect  for 
his  services.  He  has  written  many  useful  and  important  works,  which  have  gafined  for  him 
a  world-wide  reputation. 

THE  WESTERN  WALL. 

Do  you  see  this  shattered  wall,  |  Time  lingers  to  fill  up  the  void, 

And   will   the   sight  not  break  your       A  lasting  monument  it  contains, 
heart  ?  | 

The  stones  seem  to  lament  their  fall,       !  Israel,  thou  resemblest  this  wall; 
Grieve  that  the  glory  did  depart.  And  although  nations  pass  away, 

To  you  belongs  the  divine  call, 
Alas  !  the  Temple  was  destroyed.  To  remain  God's  witness  for  aye. 

This  broken  fragment  but  remains;     i  H.  Vidaver. 


Rev.  H.  Vidaveb,  formerly  Rabbi  of  Emanu-El  Congregation,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  was  a 
Hebrew  scholar  of  great  repute. 

Western' Wall— The  only  fragment  still  remaining  of  the  Holj-  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  and 
is  chosen  at  the  present  time  as  the  wailing  place  of  pious  Israelites,  who  mourn  for  their 
sad  loss. 


THOUGHTS  OF  A  WANDERER. 

There  is  unspeakable  joy  in  the  heart  of  the  wanderer  who,  after 
long  years  of  strange  vicissitudes,  returns  unto  his  father's  home. 
The  glad  fulfillment  of  the  home-sick  yearning,  the  dear  familiar 
aspect  of  objects  enshrined  as  holy  remembrances;  it  is  as  if,  not 
retrograding,  but  advancing,  the  grey  hairs  crowned  themselves  with 


76  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

the  rose-garlands  of  youth,  renewed  for  evermore.  Along  the  path 
ot  the  spring-time  the  footsteps  lead  again,  and  unforgotten  fragrance 
fills  the  air,  and  vivid  sunshine  illuminates,  not  only  the  sweet  wel- 
coming earth,  but  the  gladdened  soul  that  rests  in  its  ancestral  home. 

And  so  it  is  with  the  heai-t  and  spirit  of  the  Israelites,  who  for 
years  have  wandered  in  alien  j^aths,  among  strange  people,  mingling 
with  the  crowd  or  dw^elling  in  enforced  seclusion.  But  from  the 
'inner  depths  ascended  unto  Him  who  is  the  Father  of  us  all  the  cry 
for  help  and  strength,  the  supplication  for  "  His  m^rcy  that  endureth 
forever."  And  the  prayer  was  sjDoken  in  the  language  sacred  to  us 
all,  and  the  Sabbath  holiness  enfolded  the  lone,  sad  wanderer,  even 
as  it  rested  on  the  happy  faces  assembled  in  the  jDlace  of  worship. 
And  when  the  strains  of  contrition  and  penitential  sorrow  were  poured 
forth  as  incense  before  Him  on  the  day  of  Atonement  and  Prayer, 
thei'e  mingled  with  the  universal  accord  of  Israel's  homage  to  the 
Only  One  the  weak  but  unfaltering  offering  of  a  soul  that  felt  its 
banishment,  but  still  rejoiced  in  its  kinship  with  the  adoring  multi- 
tude that  call  upon  His  name  throughout  the  world. 

And  so,  amid  trials,  pangs  and  disenchantments  of  this  changeful 
life,  the  sovd  held  fast  to  its  allegiance  and  kept  intact  its  sacred 
faith.  It  failed  in  outward  observance,  but  the  vital  breath  of  true 
religion  animated  the  daily  effort  and  guarded  the  spirit  from  idola- 
trous seeking.  In  this,  our  modern,  matter-of-fact  life,  there  glowed 
the  bright  reflections  of  ancestral  glory,  and  the  foregleams  of  Israel's 
future  came  in  glimpses  of  beauty  to  one  who  prayed  and  labored 
and  waited  for  deliverance.  Out  of  the  slavery  of  uncongenial  sur- 
roundings He  led  the  soul  that  trusted  Him  out  of  the  Egyptian  ser- 
vitude to  circumstance;  He  guided  through  bleak  deserts  of  the  heart 
and  mind  to  the  smiling  valleys  of  content,  to  the  inviting  heights 
whereon  His  Majesty  abides. 

By  the  glad  seas  of  deliverance  let  us  sing  His  praises,  we  who  feel 
His  nearness  and  know  his  Father-love.  Our  cheerful,  sustaining, 
ever  onward,  ever  upward-leading  faith  is  founded  on  eternal  truth; 
we  live  beneath  no  terror-shadows  of  fear,  no  encircling  mists  of  su- 
perstition appall  us,  for  "  He  who  was,  who  is,  will  be  for  ever- 
more,'' is  narrowed  down  to  no  human  conceptions,  embraced  in  no 
mystic  covering  of  flesh,  revealed  by  no  mediator,  but  through  Him- 
self alone !  With  reverent  awe  comes  trustful,  ever  pi-esent  peace, 
for  He  is  Love  as  well  as  Power,  and  blessings  descend  fi-om  His 
divine  Omnipotence.  To  the  heart  filled  with  the  sense  of  human 
duty  incumbent  on  the  Israelite  criine  is  an  impossibility  and  de- 
ception an  abhorrence.  For  no  honors  of  place  or  position  will  the 
true  Jew  sell  his  birthright,  the  inheritance  handed  down  to  him 
from  dim,  remotest  time. 

And  the  world,  cold  and  callous  as  it  is  called,  has  stiU  warm  heart- 
throbs  for   heroic   deeds  and  noble  purposes;    it  looks    upon  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


77 


achievements  of  our  race  in  the  present  day,  at  first  with  incredulous 
wonder,  at  last  with  unrestrained  applause.  We  stand  amid  the 
foremost  in  the  vanguard  of  true  liberty ;  we  lend  the  hand  to  all  the 
researches  of  science,  we  welcome  every  discovery  in  nature.  Our 
sous  are  found  amid  the  statesmen  and  the  literati  of  every  land  that 
gives  them  the  jjrivileges  of  an  equal  citizenship ;  in  art,  in  music,  in 
all  intellectual  attainments,  the  genius  of  our  people  shines;  a  proof 
to  those  that  doubt  our  past  glories,  shadowed,  but  never  swept  into 
oblivion;  a  token  of  what  Israel  yet  may  be,  a  nation  great  and  pow- 
erful, that  shall  be  as  a  beacon-light  unto  the  world. 

And  to  claim  kinship  with  this  wonderfully  preserved  people,  to 
feel  the  pride  of  alliance  with  the  best,  purest,  most  unselfish  minds 
of  the  day,  to  live  to  behold  even  the  present  enfranchisement,  is  a 
bountiful  compensation  of  Divine  love  to  the  wanderer  come  home 

at  last.  COKA    WiLBUEN. 


Miss  Cora  Wilbhen— An  American  lady  of  the  Hebrew  persuasion,  possessing  great   liter- 
ary attainments,  and  a  writer  of  note,  having  the  welfare  of  Israel  at  heart. 


Contrition-  Sorrow  for  sin. 
Penitential— Repentant;  bent  on  amend- 
ing life. 
Incense— Perfumes  exhaled  by  fire. 
Homage— To  pay  respect. 


Appall— To  afright;  to  depress. 
Mystic — Obscure,  secret. 
Callous — Hardened,  insensible. 
Obli\t:on — Forgetfulness. 
Vanguabd- The  front. 


THE  EXILES'  LAMENT. 

Ps.   CXXXVII. 


By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  sadly  we  wept 
At  the  thought  cf  returning  to  Zion 
no  more; 
And   the   harps   of    our    gladness    all 
silently  slept 
On  the  boughs  of  the  willows  that  wept 
on  the  shore. 

For  heartless  they  came,  who  had  borne 
us  afar, 
And  their  mandate  wap,  "Mirth  and 
melodious  lays  !" 
And  they  who  had  spoiled   us  with  re- 
venge and  war, 
Cried :  ' '  Sing  us  a  song  in  Jerusa- 
lem's praise  !" 

But  how  shall   we   sing   in    the   alien's 
land, 
The  songs  that  Jehovah  once   heark- 
ened to  hear? 


0  Zion,  let  perish  my  ready  right  hand, 
If  fades  from  ray  "bosom  thine  image 
so  dear! 

Thou  home  of  my  heart,  if  I  cherish  not 
thee, 
Let  my  tongue  sink  in  silence,  my 
gladness  be  o'er. 
If  high  o'er  all   treasures,  possessed  or 
to  be, 
I  place  not  Jeruf>alem,  blest  evermore! 

On   Edom   and  Babylon   terrors   shall 
fall, 
Who  mocked  when  Jerusalem's  woes 
followed  fast ; 
Forever  the  same  that  they   measured 
withal, 
Shall  be   the  return  the  Lord   gives 
them  at  last ! 

Adapted. 


To  Exile— To    banish,     or    drive    from   ai      Alien— One  born  in  a  strange  country- 
country. 


78  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

THE  HEBEEW  LANGUAGE. 

What  can  give  a  greater  dignity  to  this  language  than  its  being 
the  first  language  of  mankind;  its  l)eing  the  language  of  God,  the 
language  of  angels,  the  language  of  prophets;  for  God  Himself 
breathed  this  language  into  the  first  parents  of  mankind — Adam  and 
Eve— at  their  very  first  creation,  that  they  might  explain  their  sen- 
timents to  one  another,  and  in  proper  and  convenient  terms  exj^ress 
whatever  is  comprehended  in  the  whole  universe  of  nature.  This 
God  made  use  of  to  manifest  his  boundless  grace  and  will  to  men. 
In  this  language  the  holy  angels  talked  with  mere  men.  In 'this  the 
proi:)hets  copied  out  the  Divine  word  concerning  the  eternal  salva- 
tion of  man.  But  if  antiquity  procures  esteem  to  things  of  a  dura- 
ble nature,  what  bears  an  earlier  date  than  this  langaage,  that  is 
coeval  with  itself?  And  if  the  dignity  of  the  author  enhances  the 
dignity  of  a  thing,  what  deficiency  can  there  be  here  ?  In  a  word, 
if  the  excellency  of  the  subject-matter  that  is  laid  down  in  these 
writings  conduces  anything  to  the  dignity  of  the  language  itself, 
what  can  be  imagined  more  worthy  than  that  which  leads  us  to  the 
saving  knowledge  of  God  Himself,  which  shows  the  manner  of  at- 
taining eternal  salvation  ?  Oh,  truly  laudable  and  worthy  study ! 
An  industry  beyond  all  praise  !  whereby  a  man  is  enabled  in  the  same 
language  knowingly  to  converse  with  God,  with  holy  angels,  with 
patriarchs,  and  with  proj^hets,  and  clearly  to  unfold  to  men  the 
mind  of  God  fi'om  the  language  of  God.  J.  Buxtorf, 

Dr.  Johann  Buxtorf  wag  born  at  Camen,  in  Westphalia,  1564,  and  died  in   Basel,  1629. 
He  was  the  author  of  a  Hebrew  and  Talmudic  Lexicon. 
Coeval — Of  the  same  j^ge.  |     Antiquity — Old  time.s. 


OBSERVE  THE  LAW. 

I  DO  not  see  how  those  who  were  born  in  the  house  of  Jacob  can 
in  any  conscientious  manner  disencumber  themselves  of  the  law.  We 
are  allowed  to  think  on  the  law,  to  inquire  into  its  spirit,  and,  here 
and  there,  where  the  lawgiver  assigned  no  ground,  conjecture  one, 
which,  perhaps,  was  governed  by  times,  circumstances  and  local  situ- 
ation; and,  perhaps,  wiU  undergo  modification  according  to  times, 
circumstances,  and  local  situation — whenever  the  Supreme  legislator 
shall  l)e  pleased  to  make  known  to  us  His  will  thereon;  and  make  it 
known  to  us  as  loudly,  publicly,  and  as  utterly  beyond  doubt  and 
hesitation,  as  He  made  known  to  us  the  law  itself.  As  long  as  that 
does  not  take  place,  as  long  as  we  cannot  produce  so  authentic  a 
discharge  fi'om  the  law,  all  our  fine  reasoning  cannot  exonerate  us 
from  the  strict  obedience  we  owe  to  it,  while  the  awe  of  God  will 
always  draw  a  line  between  theory  and  jDractice,  beyond  which  no 
conscientious  person  will  permit  himself  to  go.    Who  can  say :  "  1  have 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  79 

entered  into  God's  holy  of  holies;  I  have  seen  through  the  whole 
system  of  His  purposes,  and  can  fix  its  measure,  aim  and  bounds  ?  I 
am  at  liberty  to  suppose,  but  not  to  decide.  AVhy,  even  in  human 
matters,  I  dare  not  presume  to  act  on  my  ov^^n  supposition,  and 
explain  away  laws  without  the  legislator's  or  judge's  leave;  how 
much  less,  then,  in  things  divine  ?"  Laws  necessarily  connected 
with  the  possessionof  land,  and  with  local  institutions,  carry  their  dis- 
pensation with  them.  Without  a  temple  and  a  priesthood,  and  out 
of  Judea,  neither  sacrifice,  nor  a  law  of  purification,  nor  contribu- 
tions to  the  priests,  as  far  as  they  depended  on  landed  property,  any 
longer  remain.  But  personal  commandments,  duties  which  were  im- 
posed on  a  son  of  Israel,  without  any  consideration  of  the  Temple 
service  or  landed  property  in  Palestine,  must,  for  aught  we  can  see, 
be  observed  strictly  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  until  it  shall  please  the 
Most  High  to  make  our  consciences  easy  by  loudly  and  openly  pro- 
claiming their  abrogation.  Moses  Mendelssohn. 


A  biccurim  procession. 

BiccuRiM  are  called  the  firstlings  of  the  productions  of  agricul- 
ture, which  God  consecrated,  and  had  to  be  brought  to  the  Temple. 
The  country  was  divided  in  twenty-four  districts.  At  a  fixed  time, 
those  who  wished  to  bring  the  firstlings  to  Jerusalem,  met  together 
at  the  capital  of  the  district,  where,  without  going  under  shelter, 
they  spent  the  night  in  the  street,  in  order  to  be  ready  early  in  the 
morning  as  soon  as  the  call  goes  forth  from  the  captain  of  the  dis- 
trict, "Arise,  let  us  go  hence  toward  Zion.  to  the  house  of  the 
Lord  our  God!"  Such  a  Biccurim  procession  has  just  made  halt  at 
Northgate,  to  announce  fi-oni  here  to  the  Temple  that  they  have 
arrived,  and  in  the  meantime  to  get  the  firstlings  in  proper  order 
and  readiness,  j^lacing  the  most  beautiful  fruit  in  wreath-like  form 
around  all  other  productions.  Ah*eady  the  delegates  fi'om  the 
Temple  are  approaching.  These  are  the  representatives  of  the 
officiating  joriests  and  Levites,  and  also  the  treasurer  of  the  sanc- 
tuary. And  now  the  cheerful  playing  of  flutes  can  be  heard  at  a 
distance,  whilst  a  sweeter  rapture  of  humor  in  which  Jerusalem  is 
placed  to-day  cannot  be  imagined.  The  Israelites'  national  feeling, 
depressed  by  a  tyrant's  rule,  raises  itself  at  such  a  spectacle,  and  it 
is  true  that  it  answers  his  mind  and  disposition  by  far  better  than 
stage-playing  and  the  Grecian  music  of  the  theatre,  or  the  gladiator 
games  and  animal-baiting  at  the  Amj^hitheatre  with  which  Herod 
presented  Jerusalem.  Those  in  front  of  the  procession  carry  in  their 
baskets,  which  are  either  of  gold,  silver,  or  willow  twigs,  new  figs; 
although  it  is  now  only  the  end  of  .lune,  3^et  they  have  already  also 
fresh  grapes  Those  behind  can-y  dried  figs  and  other  fiuit,  and  to 
their  baskets  pigeons  are  attached,  having  the  wings  tied  to  serve 


80 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


for  burnt  offerings.  A  bull,  destined  to  become  the  thank-offering 
for  all  in  common,  forms  the  head  of  the  procession.  Its  horns  are 
covered  with  gold,  and  upon  its  head  rests  a  "wreath  made  from 
olive-branches.  It  is  a  long  procession  which  enters  Jerusalem, 
amidst  the  sweet  sounds  of  many  flutists.  The  procession  comes 
from  Sebaste,  the  ancient  Samaria.  Wherever  the  procession  passes, 
the  tradespeople,  sitting  at  work  before  their  houses  or  in  the  lower 
stories  rise  resjDectfullj  and  accost  them  in  the  words  :  "  Achenu, 
anshe  Sebasti  bathem  leshalom  !" — ("  Dear  brethren,  men  of  Sebaste, 
ye  are  welcome  to  us  !") 

An-ived  under  the  sound  of  music  at  the  Temj^le- mount,  every  one 
takes  his  basket  on  his  shoulder,  and  thus  they  proceed  till  they 
reach  the  fore-court  for  men,  and  here  the  Levites  begin  to  chant, 
with  musical  accompaniment,  the  following  psalm  :  "  I  praise  Thee, 
Lord,  for  Thou  hast  heard  me,  and  sufferest  not  my  enemies  to 
rejoice  over  me."  The  pigeons  hanging  on  the  baskets  are  now 
taken  for  burnt-C'fferings,  and  whatever  they  bring  besides  they 
hand  to  the  priests,  whilst,  in  doing  so,  they  speak,  according  as 
contained  in  the  five  books  of  Moses,  the  confession  of  the  firsthng- 
deliverers.  All  this  takes  place  the  same  day,  at  the  time  of  the 
evening  service,  and  a  multitude  of  people,  men  and  women,  old  and 
young,  have  met  at  the  Temple  to  be  present  on  the  occasion.  The 
most  of  the  visitors  receive  a  fi-iendly  reception  from  their  relatives 
and  friends,  whilst  the  rest  are  eagerly  sought  for,  and  almost  a 
struggle  takes  place  in  order  to  show-  them  hospitality. 
Prof.  F.  Delitzsch. 

*  Heeod  (see  biography)  is  meant  by  the  tyrant  spoken  of. 

Prof  F.  Delitzsch— Profei^sor  of  Hebrew  and   Oriental   Literature  at  the  University  of 
Leipzig  (Germany),  and  considered  the  greatest  Christian  Hebrew  scholar  in  the  world. 


ESTHER. 


How  it  flashes  in  the  darkness 

Of  ages  long  ago, 
The  sweet  brave  soul  of  Esther, 

With  strong  heroic  glow  ! 

Not  all  the  pomp  of  Persia, 

Nor  all  a  tyrant's  art, 
Could  silence  the  hot  throbbings 

Of  her  Jewish  heart. 

A  simple,  wayside  violet. 
Plucked  from  humble  stem, 


She  never  lost  her  fragrance, 
Clad  in  many  a  gem. 

We  need  to-day  thy  shining, 

0  star,  forever  set, 
Lest  we,  amid  our  grandeur, 

T.be  ties  of  race  forget ! 

Despise  the  past  that's  golden, 
And  spurn  the  lowly  stem, 

Enraptured  by  the  glamour 
Of  wealth's  diadem.  J. 


M. 


TiEANT— A  cruel  master. 


Glamour— Charming  the  eyes. 


Ethics. — Never  was  a  people  more  tried  with  adversity  than  the 
Jewish  nation;  adversity  overcome  is  the  greatest  glory,  and 
willingly  undergone  is  the  greatest  virtue;  sufferings  are  but  the 
trials  of  gallant  spirits,  of  which  Judaism  has  given  ample  proofs. 


FOR  tup:  use  of  ISRA.ELITES.  81 

SrEF.CH  ON  "JUDAISM." 

(Prussian  Chamber  of  Deputies.) 

Having  combatted  the  iu-<;uments  of  Heir  v.   Sybel,  who  opposed 
the  motion  before  the  house,  Herr  Lasker  continvied : 

"  I  should  never  have  o-iven  my  assent  to  the  law  should  T  fear 
that  it  would  endanger  the  stability  of  the  Jewish  religious  fellow 
ship.  Not  only  do  I  belong-  externally  to  its  communion,  but  I  find 
its  nucleus  in  the  highest  ideal  expression,  which,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  aU  history,  for  the  first  time  has  been  announced  to  man- 
kind in  the  form  of  a  religious  confession.  And  l)ecause  I  believe 
that  the  essential  contents  of  Judaism  lie  in  the  adhesion  (bekeunt- 
niss)  to  the  only  God,  for  this  reason  I  am  filled  with  the  idea  that 
the  power  of  this  living  conviction  will  always  suffice  to  give  dura- 
tion as  long  as  religious  fellowship  will  exist  to  that  communion 
which  first  entered  with  this  exalted  religious  idea  on  the  stage  of 
universal  history.  If  one  sees  confirmed  this  view,  by  a  history  ex- 
tending over  thousands  of  years  under  the  most  adverse  circum- 
stances, one  is  justified  to  cherish  this  confidence,  and  to  act  accord- 
ingly. What  justifies  this  mistrust  of  the  power  of  Judaism,  that  it 
cannot  maintain  itself  on  its  own  ground  ?  What  compels  us  to 
have  recourse  to  law  courts  for  its  protection  that  it  may  be  able  to 
stand?  Historical  testimony  speaks  against  it.  Until  the  year  1847 
this  protection  did  not  exist  in  several  districts  of  Prussia.  Then 
the  compulsory  means  recommended  by  Herr  v.  Sybel  were  neces- 
sary to  preserve  Judaism  and  the  Jewish  communities.  They  have 
maintained  themselves  from  their  internal  vigor.  ..  .WHiat  justifies 
the  assumption  that  Jews  to  any  considerable  extent  will  give  up 
the  ties  of  fellowship  from  mere  love  of  pelf,  or  sheer  obstinacy'?  Jn 
America  there  is  no  compulsion  for  the  formation  of  communities, 
and  yet  nowhere  are  they  more  closely  knit  together  than  in  this 
very  America.  They,  mostly  consist  of  persons  who  have  immi- 
grated fi'om  these  parts,  and  have  joined,  forming  a  communion. . . . 
Gentlemen,  whatever  your  decision  may  be,  I  am  much  gratified 
and  gTateful  for  the  sympathies  in  which  supporters  and  opponents 
of  this  bill  have  been  united  fox  the  interest  of  Judaism.  This  is 
especially  gratifying  at  a  time  in  which  th^  most  absurd  attacks 
have  been  made  upon  the  Jews  from  various  parts.  I  now  perceive 
by  way  of  contrast  in  the  lively  interest  of  this  house  a  testimony 
which  the  Jews  will  certainly  receive  with  thanks,  and  which  will 
doubtless  serve  them  as  an  encouragement.  . .  .Judaism  deserves  to 
be  protected  from  external  danger.  It  trains,  in  common  with  the 
other  creeds,  good  citizens,  and  does  not  fall  morally  below  the 
level  of  other  denominations.  Its  moral  precepts  are  free  from 
those  curiosities  which  the  enemies  of  Jews  have  gathered  together 
from    casuistical   writings   to   mold   from  it  a   displeasing   image. 

PART  I. — 6. 


82  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Whoever  would  take  the  trouble  to  make  similar  collections  from 
the  casuistical  teachings  of  other  creeds,  as,  for  instance,  from  the 
jDractical  business  treatises  of  the  Jesuits,  and  also,  as  I  do  not 
doubt  fi'om  similar  casuistical  treatises  of  other  religions^  could 
easily  produce  the  impression  that  the  morals  of  those  who  follow 
such  directions  must  be  very  low.  But  the  intelligent  are  aware 
that  in  j^ractice  a  majority  of  a  religious  body  is  not  penetrated  by 
the  moral  instructions  given  by  individual  casuists,  but  by  the  inner- 
most marrow  of  its  faith.  For  this  reason  it  is  clear  to  me  why 
Judaism  meets  with  the  deserved  sympathy  calculated  to  avert  from 
its  dangers.  But  I  maintain  that  the  power  of  Judaism  is  not  less 
than  the  power  of  any  other  living  religious  confession.  Through 
millennia  the  Jews  have  shown  how  to  behave  themselves  in  fel- 
lowship, despite  hostility  fi'om  without.  For  the  same  reason  I 
have  faith  in  the  future  that  they  will  cling  to  the  law  and  fel- 
lowship even  when  the  state  withholds  from  them  the  hateful  priv- 
ilege of  coercion  and  pressure,  compelling  those  to  remain  within 
the  communion  who  from  their  innermost  being  and  conscientious 
scruples  strive  to  get  out  of  it ....  It  is  my  couviction  that  the  efJ'ect 
of  such  a  law  would  not  be  a  diss;  ilution  of  communities.  A  change 
perhaps  will  take  place.  Reforms  will  not  be  undertaken  with 
levity,  and  attempt  made  to  force  a  certain  public  worship  upon 
communities,  numerous  members  of  which  may  not  participate  in 
the  sei'vice.  There  are  several  religious  bodies  in  Prussia  which  do 
not  enjoy  the  protection  arising  from  coercion,  for  instance,  the 
Memnonites.  Their  fellowship  rests  on  voluntaryism.  Have  you 
heard  that  a  Memnonite  Congregation  became  dissolved  from 
selfishness  or  quan-elsomeness ?  Why  should  Jews  not  possess  the 
same  public  spirit ?  Of  a  surety  the  Jews  cannot  be  reproached 
that  they  are  cool  or  indifferent  toward  religion.  Probably  no  other 
religion  has  had  so  many  martyrs  as  the  Jewish,  whose  followers 
have  sacrificed  all  their  worthy  interests,  and  they  have  not  even 
had  the  comfort  that  their  martyrdom  was  rewarded  by  the  outward 
acknowledgment  of  their  courage.  On  the  contrary,  they  have, 
in  addition  to  the  loss  of  their  property  and  lives,  had  to  bear 
taunts  and  scorn,  and  yet  they  have  jiroved  faithful  to  their  creed. 
Do  you  really  believe  J^at  the  few  trmlers  (dollars;  which  legal  com- 
pulsion obtains  for  single  congregations  would  prove  to  them  a 
powerful  tie?"  A.  I. 

Dr.  Edward  Lasker  was  born  Oct.  14,1829,  in  Jarocin,  Prussian  Poland,  studied  law,  entered 
the  Prussian  Civil  Service  as  assessor  ill  1H4(;,  and  was  appointed  to  a  position  in  the  Berlin 
Register's  Office  a  lew  years  later.  In  1865  the  voters  of  Berlin  sent  him  to  The  Reichstag, 
and  on  March  '27  he  delivered  his  maiden  speech.  He  has  since  distinguished  himsell  as  a 
powerful  writer  and  orator,  and  as  statesman  he  holds  the  toremost  rank  in  Prussia. 


Nucleus— Kernel.  I     ,Tesuit.s— A  society  belonging  to  the  Catho- 

Pelf— Money ;  riches  in  an  odious  sense.        |  lie  Church  founded  by  Ignatius  Loyola. 
Casuistical  —  Relating    to    cases    of    con-        Millennium — a  thousand  years, 
science.  I      Voluntariness — Optional. 


FOR  THE  USK  OF  ISRAELITES. 


83 


ROSH  HASHANAH 

(New  Year.) 

A  SPIRIT   haunts   the   year's   declining 

hours. 

And  renders  them  pathetically  grand, 

The  year's  events  recalling  by  its  powers 

Events  so  often  touched  by  sorrow's 

hand. 


For  though  fond  Love  is  God's  most 
lasting  gift. 
Its  cherifehed  objects  ever  but  a  loan, 
Which  often,  when  in  peace  we  onward 
drift. 
Falls  off,  and  grieving,  Love  is  left 
alone. 

This  is  the  heavy  curse  of  time.     Alas  ! 
But  few  there  are,  in  that  sad  grief 
unlearned; 
Full   many  through  whose  doors  grim 
death  did  pass 
From  whose  dear  homes,  some  went, 
but  ne'er  returned. 

The  old  year's  dying,  and  with  it,  what 
is  lost  ? 
A  little  joy,  much  care,  much  trouble 
and  much  woe, 
Hopes  oft  deferred,  and  plans  full  often 
crossed , 
And   struggling   manhood's  last  de- 
spairing throb. 

Yet    others    are,    whom  retrospection 

shows 
No   happier    year,    and   none    more 

sweetly  bright. 
In  which  the  tide  of  time  more  smoothly 

flows, 


On  which  fond   memory  dwells  with 
more  delight. 


To    those  so  blessed  may  the   coming 
year 
Bring  unalloyed  and  still  continued 
bhss, 
Their  eyes  undimmed  by  sorrow's  dole- 
ful tear, 
Their  lips  untouched  by  Death's  cold, 
chilling  kiss. 

To  those  woe-stricken,  may  the  coming 
year 
Bring  solace  to  the  weary  heart  and 
brain ; 
Life  seems  more  bright,  to  whom  it  erst 
seemed  drear, 
And  all  who  suffer  be  released  from 
pain. 

And,  as  each  coming  year  succeeds  the 
past, 
May  Prejudice  her  vicious  hold  relax; 
Full  liberty,  equality,  at  last. 

Efface   her   hidden,     still    lingering 
tracks. 

Sweet  liberty  shall  foremost  stand  and 
shine. 
Illumine   our  days  and  enliven    our 
dreams. 
And  turn  to  scorn,  in  proud  accents  di- 
vine, 
The   enslaver's   thraldom,    and    the 
despot's  schemes. 

Deborah  Kleinert. 


ROSH  HASH.^ 

(New  Year.) 

In  the  j^eriod  which  has  elapsed  since  the  shophar  last  sounded, 
what  chang-es  have  taken  place  for  good  and  for  ill !  We  survey  the 
rajud  current  of  time,  and  we  realize  with  the  Psalmist  that  we  are 
carried  away  as  with  a  flood.  Surely,  then,  Rosh  Hashanah  is  a  day 
for  serious  reflection;  one  of  those  "solemn  days"  which  bids  us 
pause  amid  the  turbulent  cares  of  business  or  the  exciting-  allure- 
ments of  pleasure  to  question  ourselves  as  to  our  use  of  the  past,  our 


84  SCFIOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

prospect  for  tlie  future.  It  is  wise,  then,  to  take  a  survey  of  the 
present,  and  to  inquire,  in  the  words  of  the  prophet  of  old,  "  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night  ?"  Night  is  the  symbol  of  sorrow.  Its  terrors 
can  be  displaced  only  hj  returning  day,  when  the  gloom  of  grief 
will  be  enlivened  by  the  light  of  hope,  for  "  weeping  endureth  only 
for  the  night,  but  joy  cometh  on  the  morrow."  The  times  are  full 
of  j)ortents,  social,  political,  and  religious.  Let  us  look  them  in  the 
face  and  endeavor  to  answer  the  interrogatory  of  the  prophet's  ejacu- 
lation. If  danger  confronts  us,  let  us  marshal  our  forces,  take 
good  heart  and  possess  ourselves  of  strong  resolves  to  meet  the  emer- 
gencies which  may  threaten,  and  if  there  be  before  us  a  sea  of  troubles 
let  us,  by  opposing,  end  them.  By  courage  and  lirmness  we  will 
thus,  with  God's  help,  be  enabled  to  conquer. 

It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to  examine  the  past,  with  an  eye  to  the 
advantage  of  the  future ;  in  the  night  to  endeavor  to  discover  when 
the  bright  hues  of  morning  will  dawn,  how  and  under  what  condi- 
tions. At  the  onset  let  us  admit  there  has  been  night  for  many  of 
us.  Homes  have  been  darkened  during  the  year  with  sorrow;  sick- 
ness and  misfortune  have  been  unbidden  guests,  and  robbed  us  of 
many  dear  ties.  But  as  night  passes  away  before  the  inorning's 
dawn,  so  the  darkness  of  suffering  and  grief  gives  place  to  the  holier 
and  better  feelings  of  hope  and  faith. 

Who  does  not  remember  and  grieve  at  the  night  of  anxiety  which 
hitherto  beset  our  co-religionists  in  different  parts  of  the  world  in 
their  peaceful  homes?  It  was,  indeed,  a  period  of  dark  suspense, 
but  wisdom,  discretion,  and  patriotism  prevailed.  The  night  passed 
away  and  light  came,  and  the  fruits  thus  earned  are  a  part  of  the 
gains  to  be  enjoyed  in  the  new  year.  As  in  Egypt,  so  the  hand  of 
God,  through  the  influence  of  advancing  civilization,  has  brought 
them  forth  "  from  thick  darkness  unto  resplendent  light."  "  Watch- 
man, what  of  the  night  ?"  Glorious  tidings — in  the  disenthralment 
of  conscience  in  those  benighted  countries — the  realization  of  civil 
and  religious  libei-ty  for  every  man. 

Nor  must  we  overlook  the  promise  which  the  new  year  brings  to 
us  religiously.  We  have  labored  under  the  incubus  of  indifference 
to  spiritual  things  on  the  paiaji^f  some.  Infidelity,  too,  has  attempted 
to  storm  the  fortress  of  JudlB^ffii.  Some  of  the  stoutest  hearts  yielded 
to  apprehension  and  despondency.  The  outlook  was  indeed  gloom3% 
but  it  was  not  a  night  without  the  morning's  dawn.  I  look  around 
and  have  reason  to  perceive  a  happy  awakening;  I  recognize  the 
noble  and  united  stand  on  religion's  side  made  by  our  best  and  ablest 
men  aU  over  the  globe.  Ask  them,  "  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?" 
and  they  will  rej)ly  in  encouraging  tones  that  they  despair  not. 
Their  unwavering  faith  gives  them  courage  and  strength,  tills  them 
with  hope  that  light  is  at  hand  to  dispel  the  shadows  of  the  night. 
Let  us  not,  then,  be  affrighted  by  the  enemies  of  religion.    Judaism 


Foil  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


85 


li;is  eiicoiintcred  stroiit^er  foes  in  the  past,  and  yet  her  flaj^  waves 
trinniphantly.  Key.  11.  Jacobs. 

[From  a  lecture  by  the  Rev.  Henry  S.  Jacobs,  Minister  of  "  B'nai  Jeshuruii."J 


Shophak  (Hebrew) — Raiu's  horn. 
DisENTHB-VLMENT — Emaucip.ition  from  slav- 
ery. 


Benighted — luvolvcd  iu  darkness,  physical 
or  moral. 
Incubus— The  nightmare. 


HYMN  FOE  YOM-KIPPUR. 


From  Thee,  0  God,  no  thouglit  I  hide; 

0  .ludge  of  pre.sent  and  of  past, 
My  penitential  soul  now  guide. 

And  let  Thy  mercy  hold  me  fast. 

What  refuge  have  1  but  with  Thee  ? 

Changed  is  the  spirit  once  so  proud, 
From  Thy  rebuke  it  dares  not  flee. 

But  waits  Thy  mandate,  crushed  and 
bowed. 

The  gods  on  earth  I've  worshiped,  too. 
Oh  !  wiciced,  hardened,  have  I  been, 

Omitted  deeds  Thou  badst  me  do — 
And  sought  concealment   from  each 
sin. 

Just  and  holy  as  Thou  art, 

1  am  false  and  vain  and  weak; 

Oh  !  Father,  cleanse  my  wicked  heart 
And  make  it  like  a  child's,  as  meek. 


Though  all  my  faults  before  Thee  lie. 
Behold  me  not  with  angry  look; 

Oh  !  hearken  when  to  Thee  I  cry, 
And  write  me  in  Thy  holy  book. 

I  caimot  live  witliout  Tliy  light. 

No    strength    but    Thine    can    now 
restore; 

Drive  not  Thy  servant  from  Thy  sight. 
But  help  me  that  I  sin  no  more. 

My  soul  is  liumblcd  in  the  dust. 

And  yet  I  dare  approach  Thy  throne  '• 

For  Thou  art  merciful  and  just 
To  all  who  earnestly  atone. 

Oh  !  let  Thy  love  my  tongue  inspire, 
God  of  my  fathers.  Thee  to  praise, 

And  let  my  heart  henceforth  desire 
Humbly  to  walk  in  virtue's  ways. 

S.  A.  DiNKINS, 


Yoii  Kii-ruR  (Heb.)— Day  of  Atonement;  to  atone,  to  expiate,  to  atone  lor. 


ADORATION. 

DAY    OF    ATONEMENT. 

We  are  strangers  before  Thee,  O  Crod;  sojourners  as  our  fathers 
were;  like  shadows  our  days  vanish  on  eaiih — uni'esistingly.     The 
wise  man  and  the  fool,  the  poor  man  and  the  rich,  tlie  king  and  the 
slave— they  all  are  under  the  same  bond  of  hniteness;  they  aU  go 
there,  where  the  weal  and  woe  on  earth  find  their  end  forever,  where 
the  great  and  the  little,  the  master  aiutMJbe  servant,  the  wolf  and  the 
lamb,  rest  in  peace,  side  by  side ;  the  silver  cord  is  torn  which  unites 
body  and  soul  for  a  while,  and  the  jar  is  broken  at  the  fountain. 
This,  O  God,  thy  inscrutable  wisdom  has  ordained,  and  is  the  un- 
avoidable end  of  us  all.     When  the  roots  of  the  tree  grow  old  in  the 
earth,  and  its  stock  dies  in  the  ground — being  refi'eshecl  with  water, 
it  buds  anew,  and  brings  forth  boughs  like  a  fresh  plant.     The  rock 
that  falls  is  not  sterile,  though  removed  from   its  place;  the  stone 
crushed  by  the  Hood,  and  swept  to  the  earth,  is  yet  a  soil  for  plants. 
But  when  man  dies — his  strength  is  gone,  and  though  the    skies 


86  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

grow  old  above  him,  he  awakens  not,  never  rises  from  his  sleep. 
And  rapidly  we  pass  away;  we  walk  not,  we  fly  to  the  goal,  whether 
Avalking-  or  sleej^ing,  whether  intoxicated  with  joy  or  jirostrated  with 
woe,  we  know  not  Avhen  we  are  to  arrive  there.  Ovir  heart  often 
trembles  with  the  desire  to  know  when  the  end  is  to  come,  how  long 
the  measure  of  days  will  last;  but  surely  they  are  but  a  handful,  and 
our  existence  is  like  naught  before  Thee.  But  this  speedy  flight  of 
our  life  and  the  gloom  of  the  grave  ought  not  to  frighten  us,  but 
teach  us  wisdom,  teach  us  to  j)ut  our  trust  in  Thee,  who  sufferest  not 
Thy  followers  to  see  corruption.  For  only  the  dust  returns  unto  dust, 
1:>ut  the  spirit  which  Thou  hast  implanted  in  us  is  Thine,  and  returns 
to  Thee,  its  everlasting  Father ;  and  all  those  who  walk  here  below 
before  Thy  countenance,  and  sow  their  seed  in  due  time — though 
with  tears — go  home  laden  with  sheaves,  when  the  harvest  comes, 
and  joyfully  re-enter  the  paternal  house.  He  who  sows  but  wind 
may  tremble  at  the  whirlwind  Avhich  he  has  to  reap  ;  he  who  toils 
only  for  vain  things  and  makes  flesh  his  strength,  may  dread  the 
grave  in  which  death  is  to  tend  him,  and  where  his  idol  is  to  moul- 
der; for  the  record  of  his  life  is — an  ej^itaph;  his  monument — a  mound 
of  clay;  his  supj^oi-t— a  fragile  reed,  a  spider's  web.  But  he  who  trusts 
in  Thee,  and  seeks  his  salvation  in  Thee,  rencAvs  his  strength  in  his 
last  struggle  on  earth;  his  soul  Thou  refreshest,  that  it  becomes  like 
a  watered  garden,  like  an  ever-floAving  sjDring;  to  him  death  is  like  a 
High-priest,  who,  at  his  appearance,  offers  up  a  double  sacrifice, 
S3nding  the  body,  the  receptacle  of  sinful  lust,  away  into  the  wilder- 
ness, but  causing  the  spirit,  Avhich  proceeds  from  Thee,  to  shine  and 
flame  on  Thy  altar,  and  to  rise  toAvard  Thee,  to  find  peace,  and  see 
felicity  forever.  He  that  has  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  and 
loves  and  does  good  to  his  fellow-man,  Avill  enter  Thy  abode,  Avhen 
taken  from  his  earthly  dAvelling;  and  yet,  even  this  earthly  place 
will  not  deny  him,  surely  not.  It  will  loudly  acknoAAiedge  the  bless- 
ings of  Avhich  he  Avasthe  promoter,  and  preserve  his  name  in  bloom- 
ing freshness  in  the  loving  memory  of  mankind.  Oh,  that  Ave  too 
may  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  that  our  end  maA'  be  like 
theirs !  Oh,  Judge  of  life  and  death  !  teach  us  to  count  our  days, 
and  to  hasten  to  make  good  use  of  the  brief  hours  ere  they  A^anish. 
Gird  us  all — the  great  and  ^  little,  the  old  and  the  young — with 
strength  and  understanding,  that  we  may  not  be  slow  in  remoA'ing 
from  our  midst  all  that  is  repugnant  in  Thy  sight,  in  reconciling  our- 
selves to  Thee,  O  God  of  Mercy,  and  also  in  reconcihng  all  men 
whom  Ave  may  have  offended  in  Avord  or  deed;  let  us  put  our  house 
in  order,  faithfully  doing  our  duty  toward  Thee,  toAvard  our  family, 
toward  the  community,  toAvard  Israel,  the  fathei'-land,  and  mankind; 
that  our  men  may  see  in  Thee  their  strength,  and  our  Avomen  their 
ornament;  and  that  also  our  youth  may  understand  hoAv  vain  even 
the  very  dawn  of  life,  and  that  it  is  good  to  remember  the  Creator  in 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  87 

the  early  Lours  of  our  existence,  befoi'e  the  years  approach  when  the 
sun  and  the  hght,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  become  darkened,  and 
snow  covers  our  heads,  and  earth— ultimately — our  whole  frame. 
Grant,  then,  merciful  Father,  that  every  limb  of  our  body  may  assert 
its  dif^mity  as  a  tool  in  Thy  service,  and  be  to  us  a  stejD  in  the  ladder 
that  rises  from  earth  to  heaven.  •  And  wlien  we  reach  there — at  Thy 
side,  yovi  will  embrace  Thy  image  with  paternal  arms,  and  under  the 
shadow  of  Thy  wings  he  will  be  new-born  and  rejuvenated,  and  his 
feHcity,  like  Thy  love,  will  last  forever. 

Dr.  Einhorn. 

[Prom  the  ''Ritual"  compiled  by  Dr.  David  Einhorn,  late  minister  of  Beth-El, 
New  York.] 


FiNiTENEss— That  which  is  limited.  I  To  Implant — To  establish,  to  fix. 

Inscrutable — Unsearchable.  |  Receptacle — A  vessel,  ur  place  to  receive. 

MoLDEB— To  crumble.  1  Sterile — Barren. 

Telicity— Happiness.  |  Rejuvenize — To  render  young  again. 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


PART  SECOND. 

HISTORICHL  SND  BIOGRflPHlCflL. 


Voihi  ec  que  les  Jiiifs 

ont  fait  pour  la  civilisation. 

Beugnot. 


THE  PROPHET  JEPtEMIAH. 

[586  B.— 2402  A.  M.] 
I. 

The  lot  of  the  prophets  was  peculiar.  During  their  lifetime  they 
were  seldom  listened  to,  but  often  scoffed  at  and  maltreated  ;  whilst 
after  death,  although  venerated  and  held  sacred,  they  were  not  less 
ill-vised.  The  wrongs  which  their  mortal  bodies  experienced  appear 
but  trilling  compared  with  the  torture  applied  to  their  immortal 
spirits  and  the  divine  outpourings  of  their  sacred  nature.  Agadists 
and  typologists,  indifferent  to  the  accomplished  work  of  art.  have 
with  emulation  often  pulled  and  dragged  the  beaiitiful  organism  of 
the  prophetic  literature  and  dismembered  it  limb  from  limb,  in  order 
to  produce  an  artificial  preparation  ;  or,  without  speaking  figura- 
tively, they  have  used  the  works  of  the  proj^hets  as  a  cloak  for  their 
own  fancies. 

The  pulpit  nowadays  is  in  noAvise  any  better.  It  tortures  and 
torments  the  writings  of  the  prophets  to  give  a  drastic  effect  to  its 
eloquence.  To  the  real  nature  of  the  prophets,  their  designs  and 
works,  their  struggles  and  sufferings,  there  is  but  little  attention 
paid  to  inculcate  it  upon  the  people's  conscience.  Few,  indeed,  can 
form  a  proper  j^icture  of  those  heralds,  with  their  clear-sighted 
views,  overflowing  hearts,  and  fiery  language.  Hellas  had  its  artists 
and  poets,  who  poured  over  life  the  charm  of  beauty.  Home  had  its 
warriors,  senators,  and  statesmen,  A\hose  will  was  forced  upon  the 
people  of  the  histoidcal  world  to  nuike  it  their  law,  and  who  yoked 
kings  to  their  triumphal  cars.  But  the  prophets  of  Judea  are,  by 
far,  more  eminent,  inasmuch  as  morality  and  religion  stand  higher 
than  art  and  conquest. 

The  projohets,  however,  were  no  gloomy  censors  and  blustering 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  •  89 

preachers,  with  narrow  boundaries  and  limited  views,  such  as  super- 
ficiaHty  often  represents  them.  Their  views  reached,  by  far,  beyond 
their  people,  although  their  immediate  calling  was  for  the  purifica- 
cation  and  improvement  of  their  race  ;  nay,  it  extended  even  beyond 
the  period  in  Avhich  their  mortal  existence  was  conhned,  although 
they  made  use  of  the  prevailing  ideas  of  those  times.  They  were 
mostly  the  counsellors  of  kings  and  the  leaders  of  the  peoj^le  ;  and 
their  intelligence  was  even  sought  by  heathen  princes,  for  their 
advice  was  always  correct  and  striking,  and  being  never  dazzled  by 
the  appearance  of  things,  they  could  penetrate  the  better  into  the 
nature  and  depth  of  all  affaii's  and  circumstances.  The  prophets 
knew  well  the  effect  of  words  and  j)oetically-arranged  speeches  upon 
the  human  heart,  and,  therefore,  their  ideas  were  generally  illus- 
trated with  powerfully  drawn  pictures,  and  they  spoke  in  Avell- 
articulated  phrases.  The  poetry  of  the  prophets  is  the  more  power- 
ful because  they  never  adopted  the  false  aesthetic  principle,  that  the 
beauty  of  poetry  rests  on  inventions,  fables,  and  lies,  but  always 
clung  to  truth  as  the  sheet-anchor  of  their  poetical  eloquence. 

It  is  therefore  remarkable,  although  nearly  half  a  century  has 
passed  since  the  European  Jews  have  come  to  consciousness,  and 
the  intellectual  portion  feel  no  more  ashamed  of  Judaism,  but  take 
pride  in  their  doctrine  and  the  past,  that  they  are,  nevertheless, 
better  acquainted  with  Greek  and  Roman  literature  than  with  the 
proi:)hetical,  and  more  familiar  with  every  mythological  character 
than  the  radiant  heroic  figures  of  the  prophets.  The  fault  prin- 
cipally rests  with  authors.  Any  one  able  to  delineate  the  life  of  these 
godly  men  vigorously  and  without  bombast,  merely  in  their  simple 
greatness,  with  historical  facts,  from  which  their  efhcacy  may  be 
discernible,  would  soon  silence  the  complaints  that  we  do  not 
possess  pojjular  writings  for  Jewish  families. 

In  the  following  sketch  an  attempt  is  made  to  bring  before  the 
reader  a  picture  cf  the  life  of  Jeremiah,  as  partly  related  by  himself, 
and  partly  by  his  disciples.  If,  therefore,  the  copioiis  life  and  char- 
acter, the  profound  and  cultivated  mind  of  this  prophet,  together 
with  the  fullness  of  his  afflictions,  and  his  hope  amid  ruins,  should 
not  be  able  to  captivate  the  reader's  interest,  then  nothing  but  mis- 
representation could  be  at  fault.  A  biography  of  the  prophet  of 
Anatot  is  at  the  same  time  an  apology  in  his  behalf,  in  order  to  dis- 
j)rove  the  charge  that  this  lofty  genivis  could  have  thought  and  acted 
unpatriotically,  and  even  been  guilty  of  betraying  his  country. 

The  ideal  picture  of  Jeremiah,  Bendemann's  palette  has  already 
made  popular.  His  creation — the  aged  man  with  almost  super- 
terrestrial  forehead,  a  throne  of  thoughts,  convulsed  with  lieav^^ 
clouds  of  afflictions— requires  only  to  be  seen  to  be  never  forgotten, 
l^ut  in  the  Avhole  of  his  efficiency  he  appears  still  more  eminent. 
This  hoary  man  never  knew  youth  and  gladness.     Already  at  an 


90  .  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  REAPER 

early  age  the  prophetic  impulse  laid  hold  of  him  to  oppose  the  wide- 
spread demoralization,  and  to  place  himself  Avith  high-spirited 
courage  against  kings,  princes,  priests,  false  prophets,  and  the  mass 
of  the  people.  "Never  I  sat,"  Jeremiah  himself  relates,  "in  the 
circle  of  the  gay  and  merry,  but,  mastered  by  the  prophetical 
power,  I  sat  solitary  and  desolate."  In  his  early  years,  he  felt  burn- 
ing grief  over  a  people  endowed  and  favored  by  God,  Avho,  hastening 
their  own  downfall,  deprived  him  of  all  love  of  life. 

On  him,  bashful  and  inexperienced,  the  task  was  imposed  to  over- 
come his  weakness,  and  to  step  forth  with  firmness.  From  him,  the 
tender-hearted  and  sensitive,  who  could  not  refrain  from  tears  at 
the  misfortune  of  his  enemies,  and  who  even  prayed  for  those  who 
consinred  against  his  life,  the  prophetic  call  went  forth,  unsparingly 
to  proclaim  the  awful  fate  thi-eatening  his  nation.  His  nature  often 
strove  against  this  impulse ;  he  exerted  himself  to  see  nothing  and 
say  nothing.  This,  however,  he  was  not  capal)le  of  doing;  it  being 
stronger  than  his  will.  "  Thought  I,"  speaking  of  his  inner  expe- 
rience, "not  to  speak  in  the  name  of  God;  then  afire  kindled  in 
my  heart,  which  within  seemed  to  consume  me,  and  I  could  not 
bear  it;  could  not  keep  silent."  No  worldly  motive,  or  the  aspmng 
after  gain,  not  ambition,  or  a  spirit  of  contradiction,  determined 
him  to  put  on  the  proj)hetic  cloak;  but  solely  the  impulse  felt 
Avithin;  the  voice  of  God,  the  "hand  of  God,"  only  urged  him  on, 
even  against  his  will,  and  unmindful  of  the  consequences  it  might 
draw  upon  him. 

Jeremiah  was  opvilent,  possessing  many  acres  of  land  and  ample 
means  for  purchasing  more.  According  to  his  temporal  affairs,  he 
might  have  looked  at  the  degeneration  quietly  and  indifferently,  and 
Avithout  lieing  necessitated  to  conjure  uj)  the  potent  powers  of  re- 
ligion and  state  against  him.  As  one  of  the  priesthood,  it  Avas  even 
his  own  interest  (the  same  as  all  priests  of  his  time)  to  desire  the 
continuation  of  the  Temple  worship,  however  inconsistently  it  Avas 
carried  on,  as  Avell  as  to  promote  the  prei'ogative  of  the  state,  or  at 
least  to  bear  disinterestedly  the  prejudices  of  his  caste  and  its  fur- 
ther duration. 

Bat  his  actions  proved  the  very  reverse.  No  station  in  life  he 
chastised  more  than  the  priesthood ;  scourging,  in  spite  of  its  an- 
tiquity, the  religious  practice  brought  hither,  Avith  Avords  and  acts 
unsparingly,  Avhich  may  be  applicable  at  all  times.  Jeremiah  not 
only  renounced  advantages,  prerogatives  and  honors,  but  also  the 
delights  of  Avedlock,  and  the  gentle  feelings  of  family  life.  The 
voice  of  God  spoke  to  him :  "  Do  not  take  a  Avife  and  beget  no  chil- 
dren," and  he  obeyed  and  brought  the  sacrifice,  which,  by  the 
Orientalist  and  the  Israelite,  is  felt  the  harder  to  perform.  Jere- 
miah is  the  only  one,  as  far  as  is  knoAvn  from  Jewish  history,  Avho 
remained  unmarried.      Already,  these  few  traits  in  his  character, 


FOR  Tlll<:  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  91 

taken  even  at  a  liumau  standard,  show  us  Jeremiah  as  a  remarkable 
appearance,  a  2)ersonality  whom  nature  destined  to  a  modest,  noise- 
less activity,  but  who  was  drawn  from  his  career  and  launched  into  a 
whirlpool  of  complicated  circumstances,  in  order  to  show  energetic 
action  in  the  same.  What  may.  indeed,  have  been  his  real  motive  ? 
The  answer  to  this  question  is  seen  only  in  the  course  of  his  biog- 
raphy; but  so  much,  however,  to  begin  with. 

Jeremiah,  like  the  prophets  before  and  after  him,  bore  Avithin  him. 
an  ideal  j^icture  of  Jvidaism,  and  this  ideal  he  desired  to  see  in 
classes  of  the  popvilation,  under  all  conditions  of  state  and  religion, 
in  the  kingdom  and  the  Temple,  in  the  priesthood  and  in  social  life, 
to  be  set  at  work  and  to  become  realized.  But  owing  to  reality 
being  the  obverse  of  this  ideal,  he  declared  against  idolatry,  super- 
stition, thoughtless  hyiDOcrisy,  immorality,  every  kind  of  perverseness 
and  tho'  persons  who  represented  them,  inexorable  war.  He  proved 
that  morality  and  sincere  piety  were  the  fu^ndamental  conditions 
which  decide  the  welfare  of  a  state,  and  that  a  commonality  which 
lacks  this  support  is  thorouglily  rotten,  and  must  sooner  or  later 
break  down.  The  final  result  proved  his  Avords  only  too  correct. 
During  half  a  century  nearly  (G25-580)  Jeremiah  thought  in  this 
manner  under  severe  persecutions  and  constant  danger  of  his  life. 
His  importance,  however,  becomes  more  evident  in  connection  with 
the  histori(;al  circumstances  and  events  in  Judea  during  the  last 
ten  years  of  its  existence,  which  we  have  to  delineate  in  brief  out- 
lines, as  far  as  they  encroach  upon  the  biography  of  the  prophet. 

At  the  time  when  Jeremiah  came  forth  as  prophet,  scarcely  tAventy 
yeai's  old,  there  sat  upon  the  throne  of  David  a  youth  but  a  few 
years  older  than  himself.  Josiali,  avIio  at  the  tender  age  of  eight  Avore 
a  croAvn,  had  neither  poAver  nor  penetration  to  govern  the  general 
religious  and  moral  degeneracy  Avhich  bore  date  from  his  grandfather, 
Manasseh.  A  dissolute  idolatry,  like  garb  and  manner,  had  been 
installed  as  fashion,  and,  on  account  of  its  long  duration  and  habit, 
had  attained  right,  authorization  and  sanctit3\  Judea  had  become  a 
Pantheon,  the  same  as  Rome  at  the  time  of  its  doAvnfall;  and  every 
abominable  Avorship  Avas  not  only  suffered,  but  also  fostered.  The 
temjole  dedicated  to  the  holy  God  of  Judaism,  and  in  Avhich  the 
Levitical  choii's  AA^ere  chanting  the  psalms,  Avas  a  place  for  the  lasciv- 
ious Avorship  of  Aphrodite.  In  the  valley  of  Hinnom  (Gehinnom) 
westAvard  from  Jerusalem,  there  existed  a  permanent  funeral  pile 
(Tophet).  Jeremiah  himself  says:  "As  many  toAvns  in  Judea,  as 
many  gods,"  and  the  priests,  the  sons  of  Aaron,  Avith  but  few  excep- 
tions, paid  homage  to  this  confusion;  ai>d  the  lying  prophets,  a  sort 
of  prostituted  press,  led  the  discourse  under  the  existing  state  of 
things. 

The  moral  condition  of  the  peoj^le  was  at  that  time  likeAvise  quite 
discouraging,  being  brought  about  by  political  disorder.     The  king- 


92  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

dom  had  become  a  kind  of  cali])hate,  which  ruled,  but  did  not  reign; 
and  which  the  aristocracy,  the  chief  of  families,  the  commanders  and 
priests,  had  kejit  in  complete  dependence  and  in  a  minority.  The 
princes  of  Judea  oppressed  the  people,  the  same  as  every  aristocracy, 
whose  egotism,  boundless  impudence  and  arbitrary  inclination  are 
not  restricted  by  those  placed  either  above  or  below  them.  They 
suck  the  marrow  of  the  nation  and  degrade  them  to  a  brutalized  horde. 
•They  appropriate  to  themselves  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  lower 
classes,  and  treat  them  with  that  rudeness  generally  joerpetrated  by 
the  strong  over  the  weak,  as  long  as  they  are  not  subdued  by  law,  re- 
ligion or  custom.  The  bad  example  set  by  those  in  higher  places  had  a 
demorahzing  effect  upon  the  mass  of  the  people.  Perversion  of  law, 
violence,  oppression,  deceit,  and  falsehood,  were  the  general  order 
of  the  day.  With  one  single  stroke,  Jeremiah  sketches  the  entire 
demoralization  (previous  to  the  reform  .of  the  empire)  of  tire  reign 
of  Josiah:  ''  Run  to  and  fro  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  look 
about  you  and  seek  in  the  i^laces  thereof  Avhether  you  can  find  one 
only  who  executeth  judgment  andteacheth  truth,  and  I  will  pardon  it." 


II. 

Demoralization  within  is  generally  an  exponent  of  weakness  al^road. 
The  small  neighboring  nations,  formerly  dependencies  of  Judea,  the 
republican  coasting  states  of  the  PhiHstines,  Idumteans  in  the  south, 
the  Moabites  and  the  Ammonites  in  the  east,  jierpetrated  Avith  im- 
l)unitv  a  deal  of  mischief  all  over  the  country.  It  became  a  matter 
of  difficulty  for  the  kingdom  of  Judea,  Avith  but  a  small  territory,  to 
maintain  its  independence  against  the  two  great  rival  powers  of 
Assyria  on  the  one  hand,  which  even  in  its  last  moments  under 
Sennacherib's  descendants,  and  Sardanapalus,  was  still  powerful, 
and  Egypt  on  the  other,  Avhose  reformatory  king,  Psammetichus,  left 
his  isolated  position,  in  order  to  striA'e  for  the  mastery  of  Asia.  Josiah, 
or  rather  the  reigning  aristocracy,  withou.t  suppoit  from  within,  be- 
tra^ed  their  Aveakness  in  the  face  of  these  tAvo  kingdoms  through  a 
vacillating  policy.  At  one  time  they  entered  upon  negotiations 
Avith  Assyria,  at  another  Avith  Egypt,  and  thus  their  Avavering  became 
ai:)parent  to  both  powers. 

When  Jeremiah  arose  to  be  a  prophet,  and  for  the  first  time  spoke 
in  the  fore-court  of  the  Temple,  the  Foinim  of  Jerusalem,  he  laid 
particular  stress  upon  these  three  points:  the  idolatrous  ])erverse- 
ness,  the  moral  degeneracy,  and  the  political  Aveakness;  Avhicli  stood, 
according  to  his  vieAV,  in  alternate  operation.  His  first  S23eech  is  a 
pattern  of  poj^ular  eloquence.  For  in  this  respect  he  distingiiishes 
himself  from  his  predecessors,  that  he  spoke  in  a  distinct  manner 
and  yet- in  an  elevated  tone,  aAoiding  always  obscure  and  enigmatical 
l^hrases.     Here  Jeremiah  is  the  very  opposite  of  the  proj^het  Hosea, 


FOR  THP:  USB  OF  ISRAELITES.  98 

with  whom  he  otherwise  has  much  siuiihinty.  It  wouhl  lead  too 
far  to  foUow  the  train  of  thoughts  of  his  first  oration.  A  few  quota- 
tions, however,  may  suffice  to  give  the  reader  a  slight  conception  of 
the  same.  Of  the  rehgious  decHne,  he  spoke  in  the  following  man- 
ner: 

"  The  priests  do  not  point  to  God,  and  those  who  have  the  care  of 
instruction  do  not  know  Him.  The  leaders  resist  Him,  and  the 
oracle  of  the  prophets  is  for  Baal.  Go  ye  but  to  the  isle  of  Kitty im 
(Cypern),  and  send  only  to  Kedar  (the  nomadical  Arabs),  and  see 
whether  you  can  find  any  people  who  have  changed  their  god ;  but 
my  people  have  l)artered  the  Sublime  God  for  mere  nothing." 

Pointing  to  the  immorality  of  the  day,  one  reflection  produces  the 
words : 

"Upon  your  vestment,  O  Judea,  adheres  the  blood  of  the  inno- 
cent 3'ou  have  slain,  whom  you  never  caught  in  the  act  of  ti'ansgres- 
sion,  and  yet  you  maintain  that  you  are  free  from  sin." 

Referring  to  the  political  situation,  Jeremiah  thus  spoke: 

"What  about  your  journey  into  Egypt?  for  to  drink  the  waters 
of  the  Nile  !  and  also  concerning  your  travels  to  Assyria?  for  to  sip 
the  waters  of  the  Eui>hrates !  Exert  not  your  wandering  foot  fruit- 
lessly, and  let  not  your  voice  languish  for  thirst  (through  the  w  ilder- 
ness);  but  you  say  never  mind,  I  love  the  strangers,  and  I  will 
follow  them.  How  you  degrade  yourself  by  your  continual  changes  ! 
You  will  come  to  confusion  by  Egypt,  as  well  as  Assyria." 

On  account  of  the  obduracy  of  the  people,  partly  owing  to  the 
youth  of  the  prophet,  the  impression  was  lost,  which,  otherwise, 
this  speech  must  have  made.  The  threatened  punishment  of  the 
nation  through  a  noi-thern  power,  which  he  saw  in  his  prophetic 
foreboding,  and  even  predicted  for  a  certainty,  produced  no  terror 
in  the  mind  of  the  people,  because  it  was  a  boy  that  jDrophesied.  If 
anything  could  establish  the  truth  of  the  prophecy,  then  the 
proof  thereof  lies  in  the  prophet's  own  dark  features,  delineated  in 
undefined  outlines  by  the  threatening  catastrophe.    Writes  Jeremiah : 

"I  look  at  the  earth,  and  all  is  waste  and  void;  I  behold  the 
heaven  without  splendor.  I  see  the  inountains,  how  they  stagger; 
I  view  the  hills,  how  desolate ;  I  remark  the  cornfields  turned  into  a 
desert,  a'iid  the  towns  destroyed;  no  man  can  be  met  with,  even  the 
birds  of  heaven  are  migrating. "...."  God  sends  upon  Judea  a 
nation  dwelling  afar  off",  a  peoj^le  as  firm  as  iron,  whose  languag'e 
thou  wilt  not  understand,  and  whose  quiver  opens  like  a  grave;  a 
nation  of  heroes,  who  will  annihilate  thy  crop  and  thy  bread,  thy  vines 
and  thy  fig  trees,  thy  sons  and  thy  daughters,  and  who  will  destroy 
thy  fortified  j^laces  in  which  thy  trust  is  put." 

Jeremiah  did  not  know  at  that  time  either  Nebuchadnezzar  or  the 
Chaldeans,  the  existence  of  the  kingdom  of  Babylon  being  then 
only  in  embryo;  but  in  the  soul  of  the  prophet  it  waved  already  be- 


94  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

fore  his  eyes  as  a  crushing  power,  and  he  struggles  to  find  expres- 
sions in  order  to  evidence  what  to  himself  seemed  stiU  to  be  a  mys- 
tery. He  did  not,  however,  deceive  himself,  for  he  knew  that  his 
words,  although  issuing  from  the  dej)ths  of  his  soul,  nevertheless 
died  away  fruitlessly,  and  yet  he  nevei-  shrank  from  continuing  his 
exhortations.  In  another  of  his  speeches  at  the  commencement  of 
his  career  he  remarks : 

"To  whom  do  I  speak?  is  not  their  ear  closed,  that  they  cannot 
hear,  and  the  word  of  God  used  as  a  mockery,  for  they  do  not  want 
it  ?  I  thought  (at  first)  the  people  are  low  and  ignorant,  not  know- 
ing the  way  of  the  Lord;  and,  therefore,  I  turned  to  the  great,  for 
they  must  siu-ely  know  the  way  of  the  Lord;  biit  these  have  broken 
the  yoke  and  torn  the  band." 

What  self-denial  it  must  take  to  form  a  clear  conception  of  the 
incorrigibleness  of  ah  classes  of  the  people,  without  feeling  dis- 
couraged either  with  the  stupidity  of  one,  or  the  insolence  of  an- 
other !  But  to  approach  again  and  again  these  deluded  and  deaf 
men,  in  order  merely  to  get  sneered  and  scoffed  at;  herein  consists 
the  true  greatness  of  the  proj^het,  the  greatness  of  Jeremiah.  In 
another  of  his  speeches,  delivered  about  the  same  time,  he  di'aws  an 
excellent  picture  of  the  pex'verseness  of  the  people :  "  Even  the  ci'ane 
in  the  air  knows  its  time,  and  the  migratory  birds  the  hour  of  their 
arrival,  but  my  people  know  nothing  of  a  return." 

It  seems,  however,  a  few  years  after  Jeremiah's  appearance,  as  if 
the  prophet  had  been  mistaken  in  regard  to  the  capability  of  im- 
l)rovement  of  the  then  existing  circumstances;  for  a  return  took 
place  quite  unexjiectedly,  which  banished  idolatry  from  Judea.  A 
warning  omen  terrified  King  Josiah,  and  he  introduced  an  amended 
constitution  for  the  empire  (621).  He  called  the  people,  the  priests, 
and  the  prophets  to  Jerusalem,  and  made  a  fresh  covenant,  by 
accepting  the  law  of  God  as  the  only  precept  in  life,  and  annihilating 
all  idolatrous  worship.  In  this  change,  howeA^er,  Jeremiah  had  no 
direct  participation,  for  Josiah  never  consulted  him,  probably  on 
account  of  his  youth;  but  the  prophetess  Hulda  was  applied  to. 
Yet  this  return  was  neither  fundamental  nor  lasting. 


ni. 


The  king's  intention  was  sincere  in  regard  to  refonn,  but  he  was 
unable  to  l)anish  from  the  heart  the  inclination  after  strange  wor- 
ship which  favored  sensuality  and  vulgarity.  Thus  the  state  was 
carried  on  for  nearly  thirteen  years  during  the  reign  of  Josiah,  and 
when  this  last  noble  king,  in  the  unfortunate  battle  of  Megiddo,  had 
to  succumb  to  Necho,  the  king  of  Egypt  (OdS),  then  the  old  disorder 
in  its  full  hideousness  again  appeared.  Schalum-Joachas,  Josiah's 
second  son,  was  placed  on  the  throne  by  the  anti-Egyptian  party, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  95 

but,  after  f^overninr--  three  months,  he  was  dethroned  by  the  con- 
queror Nec'ho,  and  exiled  into  Egypt.  In  his  stead  he  crowned 
Josiah's  eldest  son,  Jojakim,  owing  to  his  friendly  intentions  toward 
Egypt.  From  this  time  there  was  an  end  to  the  independence  of 
Judea ;  it  had  become  a  province  of  Egypt,  in  order  to  pass  later 
to  another  master. 

Under  this  profligate  king,  a  second  Manasseh,  began  Jeremiah's 
real  and  proper  prophetic  activity.  Then  Jojakim  not  only  indulged 
in  the  former  idolatry,  but,  in  order  to  please  his  sovereign,  also  in- 
troduced the  Egyptian  animal- worship.  In  a  hall  of  the  Temple  there 
were  all  kinds  of  animals  placed  on  the  walls,  and  incense  was  dis- 
tributed by  a  band  of  j^riests.  Again  the  funeral-piles  in  the  valley 
of  Hinnon  were  filled  with  all  sorts  of  victims.  A  certain  jwophet, 
Urijah,  having  exjiressed  his  indignation  against  these  insane  pro- 
ceedings, by  threatening  Jerusalem  with  destruction,  he  was  perse- 
cuted by  Jojakim  and  had  to  fly  into  Egyj^t;  but  was  remanded,  de- 
livered up,  and  executed.  Freedom  of  speech,  which  up  to  now  had 
been  respected,  was  utterly  suppressed.  What  courage  did  it  re- 
quire for  Jeremiah  to  swing  the  lash  of  his  word  against  the  perverse- 
ness  of  the  people,  and  yet,  without  the  least  chance  of  success  !  His 
speeches  delivered  about  this  time  we  do  not  possess  completely ;  they 
became  a  j^rey  to  the  flames  afterward.  In  one  of  the  speeches  which 
were  saved,  he  reminds  of  the  covenant  entered  upon  under  Josiah, 
to  put  aside  idolatry,  and  he  denotes  the  relapse  as  a  breach  of  the 
covenant  and  j)erjury. 

"There  exists  a  conspiracy  in  Judea  and  Jerusalem;  they  have  re- 
turned unto  the  sins  of  their  fathers.  Therefore  I  will  bring  about 
(says  the  Lord)  a  misfortune,  which  they  will  not  be  able  to  escape; 
then  they  will  supplicate  Me  without  being  heard,  and  they  will  also 
call  upon  their  idols;  which,  however,  in  time  of  need  will  not  help 
them.  Then  once  more  are  the  idols  of  Judea  as  many  as  the  towns. 
What  does  my  beloved  people  in  my  Temple?  there  to  com- 
mit crimes?  Shall  vows  and  sacred  flesh  take  away  thy  sins?  Thou 
wouldst  indeed  rejoice  over  it !" 

The  indifference  and  even  the  contempt  expressed  against  the 
thoughtless,  mere  outward  sacrificial  rites,  in  these  masterly  ironical 
observations,  are  certainly  not  peculiar  to  Jeremiah.  His  predeces- 
sors, the  prophets  Amos,  Hosea  and  Isaiah,  all  six)ke  in  the  same 
style;  but  none  of  them  has,  like  Jeremiah,  made  this  theme  repeat- 
edly the  object  of  his  admonitions.  "  Piit  yoiu-  burnt  offerings,"  he 
once  said,  "to  your  palatable  offerings,  then  you  may  at  least  eat  the 
meat  thereof  ;  for  not  on  account  of  the  sacrifices  have  I  spoken  to 
your  ancestors."  "  What  use  is  your  incense  to  me,"  he  said  at  an- 
other time,  "which  comes  from  Sabrea  (Jemen),  for  which  purpose 
you  fetched  that  fine  spice-reed  from  a  far  country  ?  Your  burnt 
offerings   are   disgusting,    and  your  sacrifices  unpleasant  unto  Me 


96  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

(says  the  Lord )."  Through  such  frank  expressions,  Jeremiah  started 
the  whole  of  the  priesthood  against  him.  His  own  countrymen,  the 
priests  of  Anatot,  became  his  worst  enemies.  But  friends  also  he 
did  not  lack,  although  perhaps  his  gloomy  disposition  was  not  exactly- 
suited  for  promoting  an  intimate  acquaintance.  Yet  the  upright- 
ness of  his  manners,  liis  intrepidity,  and  po^ver  of  mind,  gained  him 
many  admirers.  His  disciple,  Baruch,  was  with  full  resignation  at- 
tached to  him,  and  had  no  pai-t  in  the  persecutions  against  him. 
Another  follower  of  Jeremiah  happened  to  Ije  Achikamben-Schafan,  a 
man  of  high  birth,  who  saved  him  from  many  perils  at  different 
times. 

As  soon  as  his  proj^hecy  that  fi'om  the  north  misfortune  would  be- 
fall Jvidea  and  the  neighboring  powers  seemed  to  become  sad  reality, 
he  grew  even  bolder  than  ever.  Nabopolassar,  governor  of  Babylon, 
had,  in  conjunction  with  Kyaxares,  of  Media,  revolted  against  Sar- 
danapalus,  the  last  Assyrian  king,  and  conquering  Nineveh,  had  thus 
put  an  end  to  the  kingdom  of  Assyria  (606).  Nebuchadnezzar,  the 
son  of  Nabopolassar,  advanced  thereupon  with  a  numerous  army 
against  the  lands  on  the  Euphrates.  Before  even  the  result  of  the 
battle  became  known,  Jeremiah  prophesied,  in  presence  of  the 
Egyptian  ambassador,  the  defeat  of  the  Egyptian  army: 

"  I  behold  the  Egyptians,  faint-hearted,  retreating :  their  heroes  are 
cut  down,  they  give  way,  they  fly  without  turning  about.  Move  to 
Gilead  and  fetch  yourself  balm,  daughter  of  Egypt.  In  vain  I  have 
prej^ared  remedies,  for  you  there  is  no  cure." 

Very  soon  after,  the  news  spread  that  by  Circesium,  on  the 
Euphrates,  the  mass  of  the  Egyptian  army  was  entirely  destroyed 
(605).  This  was  the  first  ratification  of  Jeremiah's  prophecy,  whereby 
he  gained  the  confidence  of  his  race.  Naboj^olassar  soon  died, 
and  the  conqueror,  Nebuchadnezzar,  became  king  over  the  new  em- 
pire of  Baljylon  (604).  Before,  however,  any  one  was  acquainted 
with  the  daring  plans  of  conquest  of  the  young  king,  Jeremiah  al- 
ready made  mention  thereof,  as  if  it  were  an  accomplished  fact.  He 
told  the  ambassadors  of  the  different  states  tliat  their  countries  must 
be  prepared  to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Babylon.  His  speech 
concerning  Egypt,  in  which  irony  and  bitter  sternness  interchanged, 
must  be  considered  a  pattern  of  phrophetic  eloquence,  deserving  to 
be  placed  side  by  side  with  those  of  the  prophet  Isaiah. 

One  day  Jeremiah  approached  some  foreigners  of  different  nations, 
handed  to  each  poisoned  wine,  and  signified  unto  them,  symboli- 
cally, that  intoxicating  poison  and  an  ignominous  end  are  imminent 
to  all  of  them :  to  proud  Egyj^t,  to  the  liberty -loving  republics  of  the 
Philistines,  to  wise  Idum<:ea,  to  seafaring  and  trading  Phoinicia,  to 
desert-navigating  Arabia,  and  to  all  states  near  and  far  off'.  "  You 
will  have  to  drink  the  poison,  and,  becoming  intoxicated,  you  will 
reel  and  fall  to  rise  no  more."     But  for  Judea,  to  Avhom  he  had  al- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  97 

read}'^  preached  tbree-and-twenty  years,  without  finding  a  willing 
ear,  he  announced  the  threatening  disaster  in  quite  comprehensible 
expressions.  "  Nebuchadnezzar  will,  with  the  Chaldeans  and  northern 
nations,  approach  and  turn  the  country  into  a  desert;  every  sound 
of  joy  will  become  mute."  The  proclaiming  of  this  judgment  before 
the  people,  and  evidenced  by  symbols,  produced  a  perfect  panic. 
Judea  had  just  now  fostered  sweet  hopes,  after  the  defeat  of  Necho, 
that  its  independence  appeared  to  be  more  secure  than  evei',  and 
thus,  all  at  once,  its  happiness  was  menaced  by  a  kingdom  only  just 
risen.  The  incorrigible  and  dehided  portion  of  Judea  showed  their 
indignation  toward  the  jDrophet,  pretending  not  to  mind  the  punish- 
ment thus  announced.  Jeremiah  was  taken  into  custody,  probably 
to  check  his  influence  among  the  people. 


IV. 

But  it  was  just  as  important  to  him  not  to  let  pass  by  this  favorable 
opportunity,  in  order  to  induce  the  people  to  return  ;  and  being 
hindered  from  speaking  in  person,  he  at  least  made  his  mind  speak. 
All  speeches  in  full  which  he  delivered  from  the  commencement  of 
his  appearance,  were  written  down  by  his  disciple,  Baruch,  whom  he 
ordered  to  read  them  before  a  large  assembly  on  some  holiday. 
Baruch  did  accordingly  ;  and  the  effect  which  these  simple  poetical 
words,  resting  upon  truth,  produced  on  the  hearers,  was  really  mar- 
vellous. A  young  man  belonging  to  the  aristocracy,  a  certain 
Micha,  ran  trembling  and  quite  animated  from  the  Temple  to  the 
palace,  communicating  to  the  assembled  princes  what  he  heard, 
and  was  so  overcome  whilst  relating  it  that  it  aroused  their  atten- 
tion, and  all  were  wiUing  to  lend  their  ear  for  a  similar  purpose. 
Thus  they  ordered  that  Baruch  should  be  called  to  read  the  scroll 
to  them.  Even  these  heart-hardened  men,  amongst  whom  was 
Elnathan,  who  seized  the  prophet  Urijah  in  Egypt,  and  led  him  to 
the  scaffold,  were  all  overwhelmed  and  petrified  after  having  listened  to 
Baruch.  It  was  a  great  triumph  which  truth  celebrated  over  un- 
cultivated minds.  The  same  princes  who  previously  made  merry 
over  Jeremiah,  were  now  quite  changed,  and  consiilted  together 
what  plan  to  adopt  in  order  to  acqu^aint  King  Jojakim  with  the 
contents  of  Jeremiah's  speeches,  as  well  as  how  to  protect  him  and 
his  disciples  against  the  wrath  of  the  king,  should  he  remain  un- 
moved. After  placing  Jeremiah  and  Baruch  in  safety,  they  went 
to  Jojakim  and  acquainted  him  with  the  exciting  effect  which  the 
prophet's  wi-itten  speeches  had  produced  upon  them.  The  king,  on 
expressing  his  desire  to  hear  them  read,  was  supj^lied  with  the 
scroll,  and  one  of  his  sei-vants  read  it  to  him  in  his  winter  palace, 
whilst  he  stood  before  the  fire  warming  himself  (604).  During  the 
reading  the  princes  were  closely  watching  his  features  to  see  what 


98  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

impression  these  powerful  words  would  produce  upon  the  king,  who 
coolly  took  from  the  scroll  one  leaf  after  another  and  threw  them 
quietly  into  the  fire.  Quite  stunned,  the  princes  adjured  him  not  to 
iSecome  hardened  against  it,  but  Jojakim  simply  ordered  the  read- 
ing to  proceed,  thus  burning  the  scroll  leaf  by  leaf.  Hereupon  he 
charged  his  son,  with  some  other  faithful  servants,  to  seize  Jeremiah 
and  his  discij^le,  intending  probably  to  take  their  lives.  But  as  long 
as  those  high  in  position  felt  an  interest  in  their  behalf,  they  could 
remain  safely  in  their  hiding-places  without  any  fear  of  betrayal. 
The  lurking-place  of  the  fugitives  was  in  a  deserted  spot,  in  order 
not  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  these  myrmidons,  but  they  were 
compelled  to  change  their  refuge  continually.  Jeremiah  bore  his 
fate  with  the  greatest  resignation,  but  his  disciple,  Baruch,  less 
courageous,  complained  "  he  cannot  find  rest,"  and  his  master  was 
obliged  to  encourage  him  to  perseverance. 

During  the  last  six  years  of  Jojakim's  reign  nothing  is  heard  of 
our  prophet,  probably  on  account  of  his  absence  from  the  capital, 
in  the  meantime,  another  portion  of  his  prophecy  came  into  fulfill- 
ment. The  fate  awaiting  Judea,  according  to  his  prophecy,  drew 
nearer  and  nearer.  Nebuchadnezzar,  "  the  lion  who  rushed  from 
his  thicket,"  held  with  his  armies  the  whole  of  the  territory  fi-omthe 
Euphrates  to  Egypt  entirely  in  his  power,  and  had  subdued  whatever 
nations  would  not  submit  to  him.  Jojakim  acknowledged  his 
supremacy  (600),  but  his  heart  still  favored  Egypt.  Psammetichus 
II.  induced  him  to  desert  Babylon,  owing  to  which  Nebuchadnezzar 
declared  war,  and  Jerusalem,  which  for  half  a  century,  since  Me- 
nasseh,  had  not  seen  an  enemy,  was  besieged.  Jojakim  died  soon 
after — whether  in  his  palace  or  in  captivity  is  still  doubtful — and 
the  capital  of  Judea  suiTendered  to  the  conqueror  (597).  His  son, 
Jojachin  (Jechonja,  Konjah),  was  called  to  the  throne,  probably  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  liimseK.  During  his  reign,  we  find  Jeremiah  once 
more  in  Jerusalem  ardently  engaged  in  his  jDroi^hetic  charge. 
Jojachin,  only  eighteen  years  old,  had  no  foreboding  of  the  dan- 
gerous situation  of  Judea  ;  and  being  frivolous  beyond  measure, 
as  well  as  a  great  spendthrift,  he  settled  down  for  a  long  reign, 
ordering  cedars  from  Lebanon,  and  building  an  extensive  and 
splendid  palace,  playing  the  part  of  a  Solomon.  Whilst  he  thus 
found  delight  in  raising  the  structure,  his  mother,  Nechushta,  carried 
on  the  government.  But  she  soon  found  that,  in  these  critical  times, 
the  could  not  handle  the  nation  like  her  spinning-wheel.  It  appears 
she  was  engaged  in. political  intrigues  with  Egypt,  and  it  cannot  be 
said  that  she  was  a  model  of  a  queen. 

Against  this  king  and  queen-regent,  Jeremiah  spoke  with  such 
boldness  that  it  is  astonishing  the  court  suffered  his  attacks.  From 
this  the  conclusion  must  be  drawn  that  Jeremiah  had  already  gained 
many  adherents  among  the  people  and  those  high  in  position;  that 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  99 

the  court  felt  afraid  to  venture  upon  violence  and  seize  the  prophet. 
"Tell  the  king  and  the  queen-regent,"  he  once  said,  "step  down 
from  your  throne,  and  place  yourself  low  (into  dust),  for  your 
diadem  is  sinking  as  well  as  your  pompous  crown."  Another  time 
he  announced  to  the  king  in  person,  without  the  least  digression, 
that  he  and  his  mother  would  be  cast  into  a  strange  land,  where 
they  would  find  their  grave.  His  successor,  however,  would  be  a 
just  king,  a  worthy  son  of  the  house  of  David,  under  whom  Judah 
wiU  dwell  in  safety,  and  who  shall  be  called  (Zidkijah),  "  God  is  our 
righteousness,"  Very  soon  after,  this  prophecy  came  to  be  fulfilled, 
for  Jojakin's  reign  lasted  exactly  but  one  hundred  days,  and  owing 
to  Nebuchadnezzar's  being  informed  of  the  treachery  of  the  coiirt 
of  Judah,  he  laid  siege  to  Jerusalem  once  more,  and  this  time  in- 
vested the  place  so  closely  that  the  king  was  obliged  to  deliver  him- 
self up.  He,  his  motlier,  his  eunuchs  and  servants,  the  noblest 
amonst  the  peoj^le,  the  armorers  and  fortress-builders,  the  treasures 
of  the  Temple  and  the  sacred  vessels,  all  were  carried  to  Babylon 
(597).  Jeremiah's  influence  as  a  true  prophet  rose  with  every  fresh 
catastrophe.  The  banishment,  which  he  foretold  long  before,  had 
now  happened,  for  the  exiled  were  considered  by  those  remaining 
as  the  flower  of  the  nation. 

Nebuchadnezzar,  whose  mildness  had  been  continually  opposed 
by  manifold  faithlessness,  proved  the  nobleness  of  his  character  as  a 
ruler  by  permitting  also  the  continuance  of  the  throne  of  David,  in 
placing  upon  it  Josiah's  third  son,  Zidkijah  (Zedekiah),  who  had  to 
take  a  solemn  oath  that  he  would  remain  a  faithful  vassal,  and  not 
turn  his  mind  to  Egypt.  Zidkijah  was  possessed  of  a  few  qualities 
which,  in  time  of  peace,  would  have  made  him  a  good  king.  He 
was  mild,  tender-hearted,  manageable  and  susceptible  to  receive 
good  advice;  an  enemy  to  oppression,  he  had  no  special  inclination 
toward  the  prevailing  idolatry.  Jeremiah  was  confident  that  he 
surely  would  lend  a  helping  hand  for  the  improvement  of  both  public 
and  private  life  in  the  sense  of  ideal  Judaism, 

But  one  single  trait  in  his  character  neutralized  almost  all  his 
good  qualities.  Zidkijah  was  governed  hj  weakness  and  incon- 
stancy, and  thus  those  who  were  continually  about  his  person  made 
use  of  him  as  a  play  ball.  To-day,  he  was  quite  ready  to  accept 
•Jeremiah's  advice,  whilst  to-morrow,  already  he  lent  his  ear  to  just 
an  opposite  opinion.  This  weakness  left  the  princes  of  Judea 
ample  scope  for  their  selfish  motives,  and,  instead  of  keeping  them 
in  check,  the  king  feared  them,  and  condemned  himself  for  his  non- 
independence.  Jeremiah  developed  an  extraordinary  activity  during 
the  eleven  years  of  Zidkijah's  reign,  in  order  that  a  decline,  if  pos- 
sible, be  prevented.  He  not  only  had  to  struggle  with  the  king's 
fickleness,  and  the  strong  temerity  of  the  eye-service  of  the  false 
prophets,  together  with  the  frivolousness  of  the  people,  and  the  in- 


100  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

fluence  of  tlie  neighboring  states,  but  also,  and  above  all,  with  what 
seemed  the  most  difficult  part,  the  patriotic  feeling  in  his  own  breast. 
His  prophetic  charge  enlarged  even  to  the  sphere  of  a  statesman. 


Jeremiah  formed  in  a  certain  manner  the  centre  of  a  pohtical 
party  to  which  the  better  class — Achikam,  his  son  Gedaljah,  several 
princes,  and  at  times  even  the  king  himself — belonged.  The  clear- 
sighted views  of  the  prophet  penetrated  the  obscure  complications 
of  his  time,  and  his  upright  mind  was  for  honest  statesmanship. 
But  this  policy  was  nevertheless  entirely  subordinate  to  the  object 
he  strove  for,  that  of  ameliorating  the  moral  and  religious  condition 
of  the  people. 

Yet,  as  his  views  of  existing  circumstances  ran  counter  to  public 
opinion,  he  was  placed  every  moment  in  danger,  and  his  life  was,  as 
it  were,  hanging  on  a  thi'ead.  The  acquiescence  of  his  friends,  and 
even  the  favor  of  the  king,  could  only  with  great  difficulty  pro- 
tect him.  All  this,  however,  did  not  deter  him  for  a  moment  from 
speaking  his  mind  with  indiscreet  freedom.  Soon  after  Zidkijah 
came  to  the  throne  he  insisted  upon  abolishing  animal  worship,  and 
the  immorality  closely  connected  with  it.  At  the  same  time  he  ex- 
pressed himself  in  resj)ect  to  the  highly  honored  Temple,  which  was 
considered  a  kind  of  talisman  against  all  perils,  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  produced  the  utmost  indignation  in  all  circles.  He  cautioned 
the  i^eople  that  they  should  not  depend  on  the  Temple  for  protec- 
tion: "  Indeed,  you  steal,  murder,  commit  adultery,  take  false  oaths, 
and  Sacrifice  unto  idols.  You  came  to  the  Temple,  believing  that 
here  is  deliverance  !— is  then  the  Temple  a  den  of  thieves?"  He 
announced  the  same  fate  to  the  sanctuary  in  Jerusalem  as  at  Shiloh, 
which,  owing  to  the  degeneracy  of  the  people,  had  been  destroyed. 

These  decided  threats  expressed  against  the  Temple  sounded  in 
the  ears  of  the  stone-and-wood-worshipers  like  blaisphemy,  and 
they  treated  him  as  a  sactimoniovis  slanderer.  The  priests  and  pros- 
tituted prophets  seized  him,  accused  him  of  blasphem}^  and  de- 
livered him  into  the  hands  of  the  jDublic  authorities,  shouting,  "  Kill 
him !  kill  him  !"  This  caused  a  great  commotion  in  Jerusalem,  and 
every  one  ran  to  the  Temple,  where  Jeremiah  had  suffered  iU-usage. 
As  soon  as  the  news  became  known  at  the  palace,  the  princes 
hastened  to  the  place  of  tumult.  But  no  sooner  were  these  men  of 
high-standing  seen  than  the  enemies  of  the  i3rophet  began  rejDeat- 
ing  the  accusation  brought  against  him,  and  insisted  that  he  shoidd 
suffer  death  for  his  blasphemy.  The  wicked  accused  piety,  and 
those  stained  in  vice  impeached  innocence.  Jeremiah  defended 
himself  in  a  worthy  and  dispassionate  manner:  "  I  speak  in  the  name 
of  God  against  the  town  and  the  Temple,  and  it  rests  with  you  to 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  101 

avert  the  misfortune.  I  am  iu  your  bauds;  do  with  me  whatever 
you  please,  but  beware  of  shedding  innocent  blood."  So  powerful 
was  the  eflect  of  these  few  simple  words,  that  those  in  high  position 
soon  felt  favorably  disposed  toward  him.  They  even  tried  to  pacify 
the  people,  saying:  ''  The  man  does  not  deserve  death,  for  he  speaks 
to  us  in  the  name  of  our  God."  Some  referred  them,  as  an  example, 
to  the  King  Chiskijah,  in  whose  time  the  prophet  Micah  prophesied 
in  a  similar  manner,  that  the  Temple  would  become  a  desert,  and 
yet  no  harm  was  done  to  him.  The  wrath  of  the  people  was 
appeased,  and  Achikam  was  enabled  to  withdraw  Jeremiah  from  the 
vengeance  of  the  priests  and  the  lying  prophets. 

But  idolatry  had  taken  root  to  such  an  extent  that  removing  it 
this  time  was  as  difficult  as  ever.  In  fact,  by  the  intercession  in  his 
favor  Jeremiah  only  gained  fi-eedom  of  speech  and  nothing  else. 
This  freedom  Jeremiah  made  good  use  of,  in  order  to  steer  the  state 
against  political  eiTors.  Almost  every  one  was  dissatisfied  with  the 
Chaldean-Babylonic  sovereignty.  It  was  considered  disgraceful  to 
submit  to  an  upstart  like  Nebuchadnezzar.  His  conquest  seemed 
things  of  the  past,  the  same  as  those  of  the  Scythians,  a  kindred 
race  to  the  Chaldeans,  who  formerly  attacked  and  devastated  the 
whole  country  fi'om  the  Euphrates  to  Egypt  as  far  as  Asia  Minor, 
and  afterward  deserted  it  again,  without  leaving  a  trace  behind 
them.  A  similar  end  it  was  believed  the  Chaldean  conquest  would 
soon  share.  The  court  of  Egypt,  concerned  for  its  own  independ- 
ence, kindled  the  sj)ark  of  dissatisfaction,  in  order  to  j^rocure  the 
alliance  of  Judea  in  the  expected  struggle  with  Nebuchadnezzar. 
The  neighboring  countries  sent  again  their  embassadors  to  Jerusa- 
lem, for  the  purpose  of  inducing  Zidkijah  to  desert  Babylon.  Most 
of  the  provinces  were  in  favor  of  it.  Quasi  prophets,  among  whom 
was  Ciiamanje-ben-Asur,  commanded  in  the  name  of  God  that  the 
exiles  of  Judea  would  soon  return  from  Babylon  to  their  fatherland, 
and  bring  with  them  all  the  vessels  of  the  Temple  which  had  been 
taken  away  as  booty.  The  slightest  occurrence  was  considered  by 
the  credulous  a  sure  foreboding  of  the  speedy  fall  of  the  Chaldean 
empire. 

This  fancy,  as  if  Nebuchadnezzar's  established  power  were  but  an 
ephemeral  appearance,  which  would  melt  into  nothing  over  night, 
Jeremiah  was  obliged  to  destroy,  inasmuch  as  a  great  deal  was  de- 
pending on  it.  In  order,  however,  to  make  his  words  effective,  he 
put  on  a  yoke  of  wood,  and  thus  placed  himself  before  the  foreign 
ambassadors.  This  symbol  appeared  evident  enough.  He  an- 
nounced therewith  that  it  had  pleased  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth 
to  choose  Nebuchadnezzar  as  executor  of  His  will,  bestowing  on  him 
dominion  that  all  nations  should  come  under  his  yoke,  whilst  further 
resistance  would  prove  useless,  and  only  lead  to  harder  servitude  or 
total  decline.  "  The  Chaldean  empire,  strengthened  by  God,  and  ap- 


103  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

pointed  to  receive  power  and  dominion,  will  last  three  generations,, 
and  then  only  their  turn  will  come  to  be  subdued."  To  the  king- 
and  the  people  of  Judea  he  announced  the  evil  consequences  of  their 
opposition  to  the  Chaldeans  with  still  greater  force :  "  Instead  of 
listeiiing  to  the  allusions  of  the  prophets,  that  the  vessels  of  the  Tem- 
ple will  soon  be  brought  back,  let  them  rather  pray  that  those  yet 
remaining  may  not  also  be  taken  to  Babylon." 


VI. 


Owing  to  Jeremiah's  powerful  eloquence,  strong  energy,  and  inde- 
fatigable watchfulness,  he  actually  succeeded  for  a  time  to  frustrate 
all  machinations,  and  to  induce  Zidkijah  to  remain  faithful  to  Nebu- 
chadnezzar. Thus  Judea  enjoyed  a  few  years'  rest  and  calmness. 
Jeremiah  jaroved  also  successful  in  affecting  the  emancipation  of  the 
slaves.  The  king  called  an  assembly  of  nobles  and  slaveholders,  and 
prevailed  on  them  to  set  at  liberty  all  Jews  who  had  been  enslaved 
hj  mere  force,  or  through  want;  and  he  also  made  them  take  an  oath 
never  to  subject  in  future  one  of  their  own  brethren.  Even  the  zeal 
for  idolatry  seemed  to  have  received  a  check  through  the  prophet's  in- 
fluence. Those  who  still  carried  on  a  pers'erse  and  unbecoming 
worship  had  to  hide  themselves  with  it,  and  even  seek  the  darkness 
of  night  {vid.  Jer.  xliv:  18,  and  Ezek.  viii:  12). 

However,  the  independence  idea  continually  turned  their  heads, 
and  if  Judea  had  not  over-rated  its  strength,  feeling  satisfied  in  being 
a  vassal,  then  Jeremiah  and  his  disciples  might  have  succeeded,  if 
not  exactly  in  realizing  ideals,  at  least  in  bringing  about  times  like 
the  days  of  Chiskijah,  that  the  fear  of  God  and  a  moderate  and  sim- 
ple state  of  things  would  have  been  established  in  Judea.  But  he 
was  opposed  not  only  in  Judea  and  Egypt,  but  in  Babylon  as  well. 
The  exiles  in  Babylon  were  anxious  to  return  to  their  fatherland. 
Two  evil-disposed  persons,  Zidkijah  and  Achab,  professing  to  be 
prophets,  and  being  believed  in  their  statements,  made  known  that 
the  hour  of  redemption  from  the  Chaldean  dependency  was  at  hand, 
and  the  exiles  would  return  in  great  triumph.  Jeremiah  was,  there- 
fore, compelled  to  forward  a  letter  to  the  exiles,  in  order  to  disperse 
these  vain  hopes.  He  urged  upon  them  not  to  deceive  themselves 
with  mere  delusions,  but  to  settle  down  in  Babylon,  and  to  help 
forwarding  the  welfare  of  that  hospitable  kingdom,  for  they  would 
have  to  abide  there  several  generations. 

This  advice,  however,  did  not  meet  the  expectations  of  the  exiles, 
and  the  most  violent  amongst  them  became  mortal  enemies  of  the 
prophet.  One  of  the  exiles,  Sherajah,  wrote  to  the  High-j^riest  in 
Jerusalem,  that  he  should  silence  Jeremiah  at  home,  and  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  have  this  madman  placed  in  custody,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent his  discouraging  the  men  of  indejoendence.     Nothing  but  delu- 


FOR  TUE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  103 

sion  could  and  can  desciy  in  Jeremiah  a  man  of  no  patriotic  mindj 
an  enemy  to  independence,  who,  instead  of  exciting  to  mortal  com- 
bat against  the  foreign  government,  advises  thus  cowardly  submis- 
sion. In  times  of  loose  morals  and  general  degeneration  the  counsel 
of  an  Aeschines,  to  sul^mit  to  what  seems  unavoidable,  to  prevent 
still  greater  misfortunes,  is  by  far  more  patriotic  than  the  extrava- 
gancies of  a  Demosthenes  with  insufficient  means  to  run  blindly 
against  a  Colossus,  in  order  to  break  your  soul  into  pieces.  Jere- 
miah was  the  Judean  Aeschines,  but  without  his  vanity.  He  could, 
therefore,  advise  moderation,  the  more  so  because  he  knew  Judea 
had  another  task  than  that  of  governing,  being  convinced  that  all 
hopes  of  the  untenableness  of  the  Babylonian  kingdom,  and  the 
expected  succor  from  Egypt,  promising  horses  and  armies,  rested 
entirely  upon  mere  delusions.  Nebuchadnezzar  was  also  no 
Caligula  or  Nero,  for  Chaldea  did  not  oj)press  the  Jewish  nation 
the  same  as  Home  did  afterward.  They  enjoyed  perfect  freedom, 
and  in  the  interior  even  autonomy,  possessing  their  own  king  and 
their  own  judges.  Nebuchadnezzar  desired  nothing  but  tribute, 
and  that  they  should  remain  hostile  to  Egypt.  Jeremiah,  who 
recommended  submission  toward  Babylon,  would  himself,  perhaps, 
have  unfurled  the  flag  of  revolt  in  the  same  manner  as  Isaiah  tirged 
to  resistance  against  the  Assyrians. 

It  was  no  trilling  task  for  Jeremiah  to  prevent  the  fickle  Zidkijah 
during  nine  years,  against  his  own  inclination,  and  foreign  intrigues 
as  well,  from  becoming  faithless  to  the  alliance  with  Babylon  (597- 
588).  But  fate  is  mightier  than  individual  design.  The  Jewish 
nation  was  doomed  to  wander  into  exile,  in  order  to  lose  its  stately 
power,  and  thus  become  purified.  Zidkijah  now  entered  upon  an 
alliance  w^ith  the  Egyptian  king,  Chofra  (Apries),  and  informed 
Nebuchadnezzar  that  he  could  not  show  him  any  further  obedience 
(winter  588).  The  rejoicings  in  Jerusalem  in  expectation  of  a 
speedy  independence  were  but  of  a  short  duration.  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, enraged  at  the  violation  of  faith  of  the  king  of  Judea,  ordered 
his  troops  to  enter  Judea;  and  conquering  one  stronghold  after 
another,  he  surrounded  Jerusalem  with  redoubts  and  bulwarks  (10 
Tebet,  Jan.,  587).  The  besieged  fought  courageously,  their  hope 
being  centered  in  the  army  of  relief  which  they  expected  fi'om 
Egypt.  Jeremiah  was  then  compelled,  the  day  of  punishment  for 
so  many  perverse  actions  drawing  nigh,  to  repeat  his  admonitions. 
Zidkijah  was  induced  to  send  messengers  to  him,  to  beg  him  to 
pray  to  God  for  victory  over  the  Babylonian  army;  but  Jeremiah 
replied :  "  Whoever  remains  in  the  town  will  perish  either  by  sword, 
pestilence,  or  hunger,  whilst  those  who  will  join  the  enemy  shaU  save 
their  lives."  Nevertheless,  he  was  not  detained  from  praying  fer- 
vently for  the  unfoi-tunate,  but  to  offer  resistance  he  could  not  advise 
them.     A  whole  year  passed  before  Egypt  made  a  stir,  and  the  dead 


104  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

covered  the  streets  and  boundaries  of  Jerusalem.  At  last  an  Egyp- 
tian army  entered  Judea,  and  Nebuchadnezzar  raised  the  siege.  A 
frantic  joy  seized  the  inhabitants  of  Ferusalem;  but  the  gloomy 
prophesies  of  Jeremiah  soon  dispersed  the  same.  Jenisalem's  de- 
struction was  inevitable  in  spite  of  favorable  aspects:  "Should  there 
be  even  but  a  few  of  the  wounded  remaining  from  the  whole  Chal- 
dean army,  these  few  will  set  fire  to  the  capital." 

On  account  of  Jeremiah's  perseverance  in  announcing  the  misfor- 
tunes of  Judea,  his  suife rings  had  now  reached  the  utmost  point. 
One  day,  in  leaving  Jerusalem  for  Anatot,  in  order  to  settle  there 
some  private  matters,  he  was  arrested  by  the  town-captain,  Jerijah, 
who  led  him  back  under  iU-usage,  accusing  him  that  he  was  going 
to  join  the  Chaldeans.  It  was  in  vain  that  he  proved  his  innocence 
in  having  never  harbored  the  thought,  being  resolved  to  share  the 
sufferings  of  his  nation.  The  judges  had  him  lashed  and  thx'own 
in  a  narrow,  damjD  prison,  where  he  was  exposed  to  hunger  and  the 
greatest  hardshijDs.  In  the  meantime,  the  Chaldean  army  had  de- 
feated the  Egyptians,  and  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  was  renewed  by 
them.  Only  too  late  did  Zidkijah  now  awake  from  his  delusions, 
ordering  secretly  Jeremiah  before  him  and  adjuring  him  to  reveal 
unto  him  God's  will.  He  told  him  that  captivity  should  be  his  lot. 
At  this  interview  J  eremiah  complained  of  the  sufferings  he  had  to 
undergo  in  prison,  and  the  compassionate  king  had  him  placed  in 
safety  in  the  guard-house  of  the  fore-coiui  of  the  palace  (mattarah), 
and  gave  him  libei-ty  of  conversing  with  the  peoj)le.  Day  by  day 
he  urged  the  surrender  of  the  town  to  the  enemy,  in  order  to  pro- 
cure forbearance,  inasmuch  as  further  resistance  was  quite  useless. 
At  lenofth  his  words  had  the  desired  effect. 


VII. 


In  spite  of  the  king's  attempt  to  rescue  Jeremiah,  his  enemies 
demanded  impetuously  that  the  prophet  should  suffer  death.  Zid- 
kijah  could  not  save  him,  and  left  him  to  the  mercy  of  his  enemies. 
But  in  order  not  to  lay  hands  on  him,  whom  they  thought  in  nature 
a  superior  being,  they  threw  him  into  a  deep  cistern  filled  with 
mire,  that  he  might  thus  perish  without  their  further  interference.  A 
peculiar  sophistry  that  Crime  should  be  hoiTitied  at  his  own  deeds  1 
In  this  place  death  seemed  unavoidable,  had  not  an  Ethiojjian  felt 
more  comjoassionate  than  an  Israelite.  A  servant  of  the  king,  Ebed- 
Melech,  from  Ethiopia — whose  name  was  immortalized  by  Jeremiah 
—  adjured  the  king  not  to  allow  this  holy  man  to  perish  so  miser- 
ably. Zidkijah  was  roused  to  pity,  and  ordered  that  he  should  be 
saved ;  and  Ebed-Melech,  with  thirty  men,  succeeded,  by  means  of 
long  ropes,  in  drawing  from  his  grave  the  half-dead  prophet,  whom 
the}'  carried  again  to  the  watch-house  of  the  fore-court.     Here  Zid- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  105 

kijah  deliberated  with  liim  about  the  steps  he  should  have  to  take, 
and  the  prophet  answered  that  he  should  pass  over  to  the  enemy 
without  the  least  fear.  Jeremiah  also  quieted  his  fear  of  being  mal- 
treated in  the  Chaldean  army  by  those  who  belonged  to  Judea. 
The  king  was  so  illiberal  as  to  force  a  promise  fi-om  Jeremiah  not  to 
divulge  this  interview  to  the  princes,  and  for  which  in  return  he 
assured  him  of  his  protection.  Both  kept  their  word.  Jeremiah 
remained  in  the  watch-house  of  the  fore-court,  receiving  daily  a  loaf 
of  bread,  till  the  famine  made  its  appearance. 

While  God's  judgments  were  raging  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  three 
plagues,  sword,  hunger,  and  pestilence,  were  destroying  its  forces, 
while  mothers  from  sheer  desperation  were  consuming  even  their 
own  children,  and  every  one  was  feeling  that  the  last  glimmer  of  hope 
had  been  extinguished,  then  was  Jeremiah's  breast  filled  with  bright 
aspirations.  Previously  he  had  only  misfortunes  to  announce,  but 
amid  the  deep  sorrow  of  the  present  he  could  see  the  aurora  of  a 
better  future.  The  subversion  of  the  independence  of  the  state, 
which,  through  the  general  demoralization,  had  been  undermined  ; 
the  desolation  of  the  Temple,  stained  with  horrors  and  crimes,  the 
voice  of  God  had  told  him  were  all  to  lead  to  a  holy  life.  Jeremiah's 
speeches  the  night  before  the  destruction  were  of  a  cheerful  and  en- 
couraging nature.  His  prophetic  effusions  at  this  time  rose  from 
the  elegy  to  the  hymn. 

"A  voice  is  heard  at  Rama,  a  bitter,  sorrowful  crying,  Rachel 
weeps  for  her  vanished  children.  Thus  then  speaks  the  Lord  : 
Quiet  thy  tears,  mourning  mother!  far  better  things  are  stored  up 
for  thy  children,  they  shall  return  home  one  day  from  the  enemy's 
country;  there  is  hope  for  thy  posterity,  they  will  return  to  thy 
fatherland." .  . .  . "  The  day  will  come,  when  I  (God)  shall  make 
a  fresh  covenant  with  Israel  and  Judah,  a  covenant  not  like  that 
of  Egj^Dt,  which  they  destroyed,  and  owing  to  which  I  had  to 
reject  them.  The  law  which  I  gave  them  I  shall  write  into  their 
heart,  and  all,  fi'om  the  greatest  to  the  least,  will  be  filled  with  the 
knowledge  of  God.  Inasmuch  as  the  Hght  of  day  and  the  regular 
change  of  the  constellation  at  night  will  ever  cease,  as  much  will 
Israel  ever  cease  to  be  a  people  before  God." 

Such  is  the  style  of  Jeremiah's  eloquent  speeches,  proceeding  from 
the  watchtower  of  the  fore-court.  In  confirmation  of  his  prophetic 
consolation,  he  bought  at  that  time,  when  the  enemy  was  almost 
master  of  the  whole  country,  a  piece  of  ground  belonging  to  his 
cousin  at  Anatot.  To  this  act  he  added  the  prophecy  that,  although 
the  country  is  now  passing  into  the  enemy's  hands,  the  time  will, 
nevertheless,  not  fail  to  arrive  when  Judea  shall  again  buy  and  sell 
fields  and  vineyards,  and  exercise  a  busy  and  active  life.  Pi'obably 
about  this  time  he  made  the  short  but  flourishing  speech  : 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord :  I  remember,  Judah,  the  attachment  of  thy 


106  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

youth,  tlie  love  of  thy  betrothment,  when  thou  didst  follow  3fe 
through  the  inhospitable  wilderness.  Holy  is  Israel  unto  the  Lord, 
being  His  first  fruit,  and  whoever  lays  hands  on  it  has  forfeited  pun- 
ishment." 

At  length  Jerusalem's  last  hour  appeared.  After  a  siege  of  six- 
teen months  the  walls  received  a  breach,  by  which  the  enemy  en- 
tered, and  Zidkijah  with  his  warriors  escaped  through  some  subter- 
ranean passages  (9  Tamus,  July,  586.)  The  king  was  cajDtured,  blind- 
folded and  taken  into  captivity.  A  month  later,  the  Temple  and  the 
palaces  became  a  prey  to  the  flames,  and  all  the  prisoners  were 
placed  in  shackles.  Jeremiah  was  amongst  them  awaiting  his  fate, 
but  he  did  not  remain  a  prisoner  very  long.  The  victor  knew  Jere- 
miah's character  well,  and  he  ordered  one  of  his  generals,  Nebusara- 
dan,  to  set  him  at  liberty .  In  rending  the  chains  which  held  him, 
he  was  infoi'med  that  he  was  at  liberty  to  choose  either  to  emigrate 
to  Babylon  or  to  remain  in  Judea.  Jeremiah  had  no  desire  yet  of 
leaving  his  fatherland,  although  it  was  in  ruins,  and  therefore  he  pre- 
ferred to  stay.  He  joined  the'  small  number  which  the  victor  left  be- 
hind him  under  the  Governor  Gedaliah-ben-Achikam.  Ujion  the 
smoking  ruins  of  Jerusalem  Jeremiah  was  breathing  forth  his  im- 
mortal lamentations.  But  it  was  not  reserved  for  him  to  die  in  the 
land  of  his  ancestors.  '^I'he  small  number  left  behind,  which  could 
have  become  the  kernel  of  a  rejuvenated  nation,  were  soon  dispersed 
after  Gedaliah  had  lost  his  life.  The  remaining  few,  under  Jochanan- 
ben-Kareach,  in  doubt  whether  to  remain  in  the  country  or  emi- 
grate to  Egypt,  consulted  Jeremiah  in  the  matter.  But,  although 
he  reminded  them  not  to  leave  their  fatherland,  and  assured  them 
they  had  notliing  to  fear  from  the  Chaldeans,  thej'  rejected  his  counsel 
after  all  ;  for  these  unfortunate,  helpless  men  fancied  that  it  was  his 
disciple,  Baruch,  who  induced  Jeremiah  to  give  them  such  advice, 
believing  that  Baruch  intended  to  deliver  them  to  the  Chaldeans  for 
punishment.  They  then  emigrated  to  Egypt,  and  Jeremiah,  in  order 
not  to  remain  behind  entirely  by  himself,  joined  them  also  (about 
584).  They  had  a  friendly  reception  in  Egypt,  and  settled  in  different 
paiiis  of  the  country.  Jeremiah  probably  resided  at  Daphne,  a  part 
of  Lower  Egypt. 

Here  he  had  still  to  contend  against  the  indelible  idolatry  which 
seemed  rooted  in  the  hearts  of  almost  all  the  exiles.  The  Jewish 
women  took  to  the  worship  of  Isis,  persuading  the  men  to  follow 
their  example.  Yet  it  is  remarkable  that  the  emigrants  in  Egypt 
still  hoped  to  return  to  their  fatherland  and  see  the  Temple  rebuilt 
once  more.  These  hopes  were  grounded  upon  Egypt's  preparations 
for  war  with  Nebuchadnezzar.  Jeremiah,  whose  last  breath  was 
still  an  exliortation  for  improvement,  gathered  together  all  the  Ju- 
deans  in  Egypt,  and  addressing  them  in  affecting  language  (probably 
his  dying  strains),  endeavored  to  destroy  the  delusions  under  which 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


107 


they  labored.  He  inquired  of  them  whether  they  had  not  had 
enough  of  misfortunes,  and  if  they  could  not  see  quite  clearly  that 
the  cfestruction  of  the  state  and  the  Temple  was  owing  to  idolatry 
and  demoralization,  and  whether  they  had  any  desire  to  call  upon 
them  the  wrath  of  God  even  still  more.  But  the  women  were  im- 
pudent euough  to  reply  that  they  expected  better  success  from  the 
worship  of  Isis  than  the  adoration  of  the  blessed  God.  J  eremiah 
hereupon  announced  to  them  inexorable  punishment  from  on  high. 
To  the  unfortunate  prophet  it  was  not  granted  to  gather  around 
him  even  a  small  congregation  of  God-fearing  men,  whose  true  piety 
would  have  revived  his  drooping  soul.  The  day  of  his  death  is  not 
known.  It  is  said  that  he  was  stoned  to  death  by  those  who  belonged 
to  his  own  race. 

But  whatever  his  living  word  could  not  accomplish  the  writings 
he  left  effected  afterward  ;  and  his  admirers  collected  them  both  in 
Babylon  and  Egypt.  These  writings  were  diligently  read  and  taken 
to  heart.  The  exiles,  through  this  valuable  heirloom,  and  through 
the  prophet  Ezekiel,  who  probably  was  his  disciple,  and  laboring  in 
the  same  direction,  were  drawn  nearer  to  a  spiritual  attachment 
toward  God,  and  gradually  abandoned  idolatry.  The  rejuvenated 
and  purified  nation  felt  so  grateful  to  Jeremiah  that  everything  won- 
derful related  of  him  was  readily  believed.  But  singular  traits  in 
his  character,  which  veneration  toward  him  affirmed,  are  here  out  of 
place.  The  historical  facts  of  his  life  are  sufficiently  corroborated  to 
make  his  loftiness  worthy  of  admiration,  and  himself  a  model  whose 
confidence  in  God  was  unshaken  and  devoted  to  the  last. 
Dr.  H.  Graetz. 


Bendeman — A  celebrated  German  painter. 

Prerogative — An  exclusive  privilege. 

Oriental — Belonging  to  the  Eastern  part  of 
the  world. 

Ideal — Mental,  intellectual. 

Pantheon — A  temple  at  Rome  for  idol  wor- 
ship. 

Caliph — A  title  assumed  by  the  successors 
of  Mohamed,  the  Saracenes. 

Forum— Court  ot  justice,  any    public  place. 

Enigmatical — Darkly  expressed. 

Obduracy— Hardness  of  heart. 

Embryo— The  state  of  anything  yet  unfin- 
ished. 

Sanctimonious — Saintly,  appearing  as  such. 

Ephemeral- Which  lasts  but  a  day. 

Colossus— Enormous,  magnitude. 

Autonomy — To  live  according  to  your  own 
mind. 

Jsis— An  idol  worshiped  by  the  Egyptians. 


Typologist — The  science  of  types. 

Emulation — Rivalry,  contest. 

Organism— Various  parts  co-operating  with 
each  other. 

D  RASTi  c — Powerful . 

Figuratively — In  a  sense  different  from 
that  which  words  generally  imply. 

Herald— A  forerunner,  a  harbinger. 

Hellas    Pertaining  to  Greece. 

Aesthetic— Impressing  the  senses  and  feel- 
ings of  our  nature. 

Mythological— Relating  to  fabulous  history. 

Incense — Perfumes  exhaled  by  lire  in 
honor  of  some  god. 

Myrmidon— A  rude  ruffian,  so  named  from 
the  soldiers  of  Achilles. 

Quasi — as  if,  as  it  were. 

Sophistry — Anything  subtle,  corrupt  and 
not  genuine. 

Aurora  (poetically)- The  morning. 


BELSHAZZAR. 


The  midnight  hour  was  drawing  on; 
Hushed  into  rest  lay  Babylon. 

All  save  the  royal  palace,  where 
Was   the   din   of  "revels,  and    torches' 
flare. 


There  high  within  his  royal  hall 
Belshazzar,  the  king,  held  festival. 

His  nobles  around  him  in  splendor  shine, 
And  drain  down  goblets  of  sparkling 


1(J8 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


The  nobles  shout,  and  the  goblets  ring; 
'Twas  sweet  to  the  heart  of   the  stiti- 
necked  king. 

The  cheeks  of   the  king,  they  flashed 

with  fire. 
And  still  as  he  drank  his  conceit  grew 

higher. 

And,  maddened  with  pride,  his  lips  let 

fall 
Wild  words,  that  blaspheme  the  great 

Lord  of  all. 

More  vaunting  he  grew,  and  his  blas- 
phemous sneers 

Were  hailed  by  his  lordly  rout  with 
.cheers. 

Proudly  the  king  has  a  mandate  passed; 
Away  hie  the  slaves,  and  come  back 
full  fast. 

Many  gold  vessels  they  bring  with  them, 
The  spoils  of  God's  house  in  Jerusalem. 

With  impious  hand  the  king  caught  up, 
Filled  to  the  brim,  a  sacred  cup; 

And  down  to  the  bottom  he  drained  it 

dry, 
And  alou'l,  with  his  mouth  afoam,  did 

cry: 

■"Jehovah!    I  scoff  at    Thy  greatness 

gone ! 
I  am  the  King  of  Babylon  !" 


The  terrible  words  were  ringing  still, 
When  the  king  at  his  heart  felt  a  secret 
chill. 

The  laughter  ceased,  the  lords  held  their 

breath, 
And  all  through  the  hall  was  still  as 

death. 

And  see,  see  there!   on  the  white  wall, 

see  ! 
Comes  forth  what  seems  a  man's  hand 

to  be! 

And   it  wrote   and  wrote  in  lettei*s  of 

flame, 
On  the  white  wall — then  vanished  the 

way  it  came. 

The   king    sat   staring,   he   could    not 

speak, 
His  knees  knocked  together,  death-pale 

was  his  cheek. 

With  cold  fear  creeping  his  lords  sat 

round; 
They  sat  dumb-stricken,  with  never  a 

sound. 

The   magicians  came,  but  not  one  of 

them  all 
Could  interpret  the  writing  upon  the  wall. 

That  self-same  night  God  put  an  end 

to  his  reign  ! 
And  Belshazzar,  the  king,  by  his  nobles 

was  slain. 

Heinrich  Heine. 


SIMON  THE  JUST  AND  HIS  TIMES. 
[332  b]. 
A  STRANGE  feeling  seizes  the  inquirer  into  Jewish  history,  in 
leaving  the  last  writings  of  the  sacred  historic  records,  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah,  in  order  to  follow  the  thread  in  the  books  of  Josephus — a 
feeling  of  desolation  and  regret.  Hitherto  he  has  moved  in  a  rich 
world,  a  host  of  distinguished  names  rustled  around  him,  eminent 
personalities  have  captivated  his  interest,  and,  all  at  once,  everything 
becomes  quiet;  he  merely  hears  some  isolated  sounds,  he  meets 
during  an  intei-val  of  two  centuries  only  now  and  then  some  dis- 
membered persons,  who  appear  neither  acting  nor  speaking,  and 
differ  only  from  each  other  by  their  names.  It  is  as  if  one  would 
suddenly  be  transposed  fi-om  a  tumultuous  rising  of  the  people  into  a 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  10& 

heath,  where,  after  a  long  space  of  time,  he  aHghts  on  a  living  be- 
ing. To  this  isolated  feeling  is  added  that  of  obscurity,  for  the  in- 
quirer is  looking  in  vain  for  a  hold  to  cling  to  from  which  he  could 
reconstruct  the  long  period.  Josephus,  in  recounting  the  events 
after  Nehemiah's  time,  merely  rehearses  the  names  of  the  High- 
priests:  Onias  I.,  Simon  the  Just,  the  fabulous  Eleasar,  a  Menasse, 
Onias  II.,  remarkable  for  his  avarice  and  apathy,  Simon  II.,  Onias 
m.,  whose  grave  was  scarcely  closed,  when  the  bloody  combat  for 
the  dignity  of  High-priest  commenced  between  the  Nationals,  true 
to  the  law,  and  the  faithless  Hellenists;  only  at  the  time  of  Simon 
II.  the  scene  becomes  somewhat  more  lively,  without  getting,  how- 
ever, in  anywise  brighter. 

And  yet  one  can  hardly  be  persuaded  that  this  long  period  should 
resemble  a  plain  tablet,  upon  which  merely  a  few  names  and  frag- 
mentary occuiTences  are  notched.  Does  not  there  happen  in  this 
period  a  turning  point  strictly  marked  in  the  history  of  mankind — 
the  downfall  of  Persian  rule,  and  the  victory  of  Greece  over  the 
Orient?  Alexander  the  Great,  the  youthful  Macedonian  hero,  with 
his  gigantic  schemes  and  his  generals,  those  men  with  hearts  of  steel, 
filled  the  world,  from  the  Danube  to  the  Indus,  with  the  deafening 
noise  of  their  arms;  and  the  shock  which  these  wars  and  bloody 
contests  brought  about  were  also  heavily  felt  in  Judea.  The  inner 
change  which  the  Orient  experienced,  owing  to  this  ferment,  did 
not  pass  Judea  traceless.  The  Jewish  nation,  also,  although  of  ex- 
traordinary tenacity,  and  full  of  stings  against  the  pressure  of  foreign 
elements,  could  not  escape  Hellenizing  influence .  Hellenism,  which 
left  deep  wounds  on  Judaism,  but,  at  the  same  time,  roused  it  to  its 
own  perception,  had,  during  the  above-naraed  line  of  high-priests 
in  Judea,  spread  its  first  seed,  which,  owing  to  unfavorable  times, 
grew  up  to  a  poisonous  plant.  How  was  the  Judaism  of  that  period 
situated,  when  first  Greekism  entered  upon  Jewish  soil?  The  his- 
torian, Josephus,  does  not  answer  this  question,  and  we  should  not 
be  able  to  form  the  least  conjecture,  had  not  foriunately  the  Tal- 
mud, the  gnome  poet,  Jesua  Sirach,  and  some  odd  records,  left  us  a 
few  intimations  respecting  it.  This  period  forms  (what  we  have 
told  at  the  outset),  to  a  certain  degree,  the  transition  of  the  Bibli- 
cal state,  as  impressed  in  the  writings  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  and 
the  Ckronicles,  to  the  Maccabeean  epoch,  influenced  by  Greekism,  or 
under  circumstances  reaching  against  it,  and  which  may  be  safely 
distinguished  by  the  individuality  of  the  High-priest  Simon  the 
Just.  The  life  of  prominent  personalities  is  reflected  most  dis- 
tinctly by  the  disjDosition  of  the  time,  especially  if  these  are  placed 
officially  at  the  head  of  a  people  or  community.  In  the  following, 
we  gather  the  few  traits  which  are  still  cognizable  of  Simon  the 
Just  aiid  the  commotion  of  his  time,  and  which  w^e  give  here  as  a 
representation  of  that  period. 


110  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Simon  the  First,  sou  of  Onias  I.,  has  left  to  jiosterity  some  good 
impressions,  which  we  can  infer  from  the  honorable  surname  "the 
Just  "  (or  "  the  joious  "),  even  if  historic  authorities  mention  nothing 
else  respecting  him.  At  this  simple  period,  names  of  honor  were 
not  thrown  away  extravagantly,  in  order  to  bestow  them  undeserv- 
edly, and  Simon,  even  if  High-priest  and  Regent  of  the  Jewish  com- 
munity, was,  nevertheless,  not  powerful  enough  to  have  had  flat- 
terers who  would  have  invented  lliis  epithet.  "  He  is  called  the 
Just,"  says  Josephus,  "  on  account  of  his  pious  conduct  toward  God, 
and  his  benevolent  intentions  for  his  race."  Some  Talmudic  au- 
thorities are  almost  at  a  loss  to  do  proper  justice  to  his  deep  piety; 
and  a  single  trait,  which  has  been  handed  down  to  us,  shows  that 
he  was  animated  with  pure  piety,  and  had  no  opinion  of  an  obscure, 
life-hating,  ascetic  religiousness.  The  gnome-poet,  Sirach,  who  has 
written  a  commendatory  poem  on  Biblical  heroes,  and  bringing  it 
down  to  his  contemporary,  Simon,  calls  him  "  the  chief  of  his 
brethren,  and  the  crown  of  his  people."  His  outward  appearance, 
also,  must  have  been  imposing ;  the  same  poet  gathers  together  the 
most  lovely  and  brilliant  similes,  in  order  to  celebrate  in  his  song 
this  w^oiihy  and  grave  high-priest.  "  How  beautiful  he  appeared  in 
quitting  the  Temple,  or  when  he  had  left  the  Holy  of  Holies !  Like 
the  morning  star,  suiTounded  with  clouds;  like  the  full  moon  in  the 
days  of  spring;  like  the  sun  brightens  the  Temple  of  the  Most  High; 
like  the  rainbow  fi'om  out  the  clouds;  like  the  rose  in  the  time  of 
spring ;  like  the  lily  on  the  I'im  of  a  rivulet ;  and  like  the  Lebanon 
flower  in  the  days  of  summer."  In  such  representations  Simon's 
delineation  is  qontinued.  That  cannot  have  been  an  unimportant 
person  who  could  thus  influence  the  poet's  mind  to  such  flourishing 
ecstacy. 

Simon  administered  as  High-priest  when  Alexander  the  Great 
undertook  his  triumphant  march.  The  Macedonian  hero,  although 
but  slightly  aftected  by  Grecian  civilization,  was  no  barbarian,  no 
Sennacherib  or  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  allow,  merely  for  the  sake  of  tak- 
ing delight  in  destruction,  the  innocent  to  be  put  to  the  sword,  to  lay 
cities  in  ashes,  to  turn  flourishing  countries  into  deserts,  or  even  sub- 
jugate nations  by  tearing  them  away  from  their  soil,  and  transplanting 
them  to  a  distant  region.  He  demanded  merely  submission;  and, 
perhaps,  some  supply  of  their  natural  productions  for  his  numerous 
army ;  and  the  Asiatic  jDeople  of  the  interior,  as  well  as  Judea,  had 
no  cause  to  oppose  him,  especially  as  they  felt  no  particular  attach- 
ment to  the  Persian  despots,  being  continually  oppressed  by  the 
satraps,  in  order  that  a  change  of  rulers  maj'  not  be  welcome  to 
them.  When  Alexander,  after  his  first  victories  over  the  Persian 
army,  came  to  Syria,  to  go  to  Egypt,  no  country,  except  Tyre  and 
Gaza,  resisted  him,  but  all  the  kings  met  him  and  did  him  homage. 
Simon  the   Just,  as  the  chief  dignitary  and  representative  of   the 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  Ill 

Jewish  nation,  went  as  far  as  tlie  sea-sliore  to  meet  the  Conqueror, 
wearing  the  attire  of  a  high-priest,  and  being  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  priests  in  their  ornate  robes,  and  by  the  noblest  of  the 
nation.  Report  has  it,  Alexander  was  so  overcome  with  awe  at  the 
sight  of  the  High-priest,  that  he  at  once  approached  to  greet  him; 
and,  when  his  courtiers  exjoressed  their  astonishment  at  his  conde- 
scension, he  observed  that  he  once  saw  in  a  dream  the  likeness  of 
this  High-priest,  clad  in  the  very  same  attire,  and  he  then  promised 
him  victory.  Alexander,  thereupon,  on  the  application  of  the  High- 
priest,  granted  to  the  Jews  religious  freedom,  and  freed  them  e  en 
of  all  contributions  in  the  Sabbatic  year;  because,  there  being  no 
harvest  during  that  period,  they  could  not  supply  any  natural  pro- 
ductions. After  Alexander's  departure  for  Egypt  (333),  he  gave 
the  government  of  Syria,  to  which  now  Judea  and  Samaria  belonged, 
to  his  general,  Andromachus. 

While  Alexander  carried  on  his  conquests  in  Egj'jjt,  disturb- 
ances took  place  in  Samaria,  the  cause  and  extent  of  which  are  un- 
known; but  so  much  is  certain,  that  they  originated  between  the 
religious  Jews  and  the  Samaritans,  and  not  with  those  originally  of 
one  race.  But  as  soon  as  the  governor,  Andromachus,  interfered, 
in  order  to  settle  the  animosities,  the  Samaritans  revolted,  and 
killed  him  by  committing  him  to  the  flames.  Alexander,  on  receiv- 
ing the  news  of  this  horrid  deed,  hastened  to  the  spot,  demanding 
that  the  i:)erpetrators  of  the  awful  crime  should  be  delivered  up  to 
him ;  this  being  done,  he  punished  them  and  destroyed  the  town  of 
Samaria;  or,  as  others  would  have  it,  put  a  Macedonian  garrison 
in  the  place.  As  he  punished  the  Samaritans  for  their  rebellion, 
the  Jews  were  rewarded  for  their  restraint  and  moderation;  it  is 
even  said  that  he  added  Samaria  to  Judea,  and  declared  it  free  of 
all  taxes.  Probably  Alexander  thought  joroper  to  declare  that,  for 
the  future,  merely  a  border  district  with  the  towns  Lydda  (Rama- 
tain)  and  Ejihraim  (Ajjherema)  should  belong  to  Judea,  which  was, 
perhaps,  the  cause  of  the  quarrel;  for,  under  Simon's  son,  the 
Samaritans  afterward  took  revenge,  and  gained  possession  once 
more  of  the  same  district. 

Thus  the  first  meeting  of  Judah  and  Javan  was  a  pleasant  one, 
accompanied  by  mutual  kindness.  Alexander  favored  the  Jews,  and 
they  entered  his  army  and  assisted  him  in  his  conquests.  Simon 
the  Just  was  the  mediator  between  the  two  antagonistic  nations. 
Both  had  no  foreboding  that,  before  long,  they  should  have  to 
undergo  together  a  hard  combat,  and  that  the  Jews  would  be  in- 
strumental in  bringing  about  the  ruin  of  Grecian  rule,  both  in  Syria 
and  Egypt. 

The  peace  and  comfort  which  Judea  enjoyed  under  Alexander 
lasted  only  until  his  death.  Hereupon  two  decades  followed,  during 
which  his  generals  kept  up  a  destructive  war,  from  which  Judea  also 


112  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

had  to  suffer  much.  The  columns  of  the  army  of  Antigones,  of  his 
son,  Demetrius,  the  city  conqueror,  and  Ptolemaeos  Lagi  crushed  the 
blessings  of  this  land  and  filled  its  inhabitants  with  horror.  Ftole- 
mjeos  took  Jerusalem  by  storm  on  a  Sabbath,  and  the  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem, which  were  great  strongholds  since  the  time  of  Nehemiah, 
were  pierced  again,  for  the  first  time  since  the  existence  of  the 
second  Temple,  with  many  breaches.  Judea  had  only  just  regained 
jDroper  rest,  when  it  was  annexed  to  the  Egyptian  empire  in  con- 
tinuity. All  these  occurrences  Simon  the  Just  lived  to  see,  which 
gave  him  amjjle  opportunities  of  confirming  his  trust  in  God,  in 
order  not  to  succumb  under  these  misfoi-tunes,  and  to  prove  his 
love  toward  his  people,  to  alleviate  their  miseries,  and  to  heal  their 
wounds  as  much  as  he  could. 

"  He  cared  for  his  nation 
And  saved  her  from  ruin," 

the  poet  Sirach  sings  of  him.  Through  this  poet  we  are  also  told 
in  what  manner  Simon  showed  his  activity'  for  his  people.  He  made 
Jerusalem,  which  had  suffered  much  through  the  wars,  a  great 
stronghold,  in  order  that  it  might  not  be  so  easily  taken,  concerning 
which  many  gloomy  prospects  continually  sprang  up.  The  Temple 
Simon  also  fortified,  repaired  all  damaged  places,  and  raised  the 
foundation  of  the  fore-court.  The  reservoir  in  the  Temple,  hold- 
ing the  w^ater,  he  enlarged  to  the  dimensions  of  a  pond,  in  order 
that  the  inhabitants  might  not  suffer  from  scarcity  of  water  in  case 
of  a  siege.  After  that  time  the  Temple  had  always  large  quantities 
of  water  in  store,  which,  in  a  hot  climate,  and  a  dry  soil  like  that  of 
Jerusalem,  was  looked  upon  with  great  astonishment. 

If  l?imon  thus  cared  for  the  material  interests  of  his  people,  he 
was  not  the  less  severed  from  the  idea  of  Judaism,  that  Israel's 
strength  does  not  depend  upon  such  means.  "Of  three  things 
Israel's  salvation  is  composed,"  as  taught  by  the  choice  sentence 
preserved  to  us;  **upon  observance  of  the  law  (Torah),  upon  recon- 
ciliation with  God  by  virtue  of  means  of  grace,  which  the  Temple- 
worship  furnishes  (Abodah),  and  upon  works  of  charity  (.Gemilath 
Chessodim)."  His  piety  was  a  purified  one,  free  from  ascetic  excess. 
His  period  being  full  of  wars  and  troubles,  brought  about  many- 
evils,  and  the  strictly  pious  sought,  as  during  the  time  of  the 
prophets,  to  withdraw  from  human  society  altogether,  and  to  con- 
secrate themselves  in  vowing  to  lead  a  Nazarean  life — the  first  onset 
to  the  sect  of  the  Assideans.  Simon  did  not  like  this  mode  of  life, 
and  shoAved  his  protest  against  it  by  not  allowing  the  priests  to  use 
the  pieces  due  to  them  from  the  sacrifices  of  the  Nazareans.  Only 
once  he  made  an  exception  in  favor  of  a  young,  beautiful  shepherd, 
who  came  to  him  as  a  Nazarean.  "  Why  do  you  wish,"  inquired  the 
High-priest  of  the  youth,  who  was  adorned  by  a  splended  head  cov- 
ered with  ringlets,  " to  .  destroy  thy  beautiful  head  of  hair?"     To 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  113 

which  the  shepherd  replied:  "Because  1113^  headfvd  of  ringlets  has 
nearly  enticed  me  to  sin  from  mere  vanity.  I  once  saw  my  reflec- 
tion in  a  clear  stream,  and,  as  my  likeness  thus  met  my  eye,  the 
thought  of  sell'-deitication  took  hold  of  me ;  wherefore  I  consecrated 
my  hair  unto  the  Lord  through  the  Nazarean  vow."  In  hearing 
these  words,  Simon  kissed  the  young  shepherd  of  such  morally  pure 
simplicity,  and  said  to  him :  "  Oh,  if  there  were  only  in  Israel  many 
Nazareans  like  yourself!"  At  that  time  the  whole  nation  was  jjene- 
trated  with  a  rehgiovis  feeling  for  which  Ezra  paved  the  way,  while 
Nehemiah,  in  conjunction  with  the  great  assembly,  had  strength- 
ened it.  During  the  time  of  Nehemiah  the  people  in  general  cared 
but  little  tor  the  Sabbath,  being  often  engaged  in  the  fields  on  that 
day,  and,  in  Jerusalem,  even  the  weekly  market  was  held  on  the 
Sabbath;  yet,  in  Simon's  time,  all  had  undergone  a  gTeat  change. 
Agatharchides,  a  Greek  historian  of  that  time,  cannot  avoid  admir- 
ing much  the  strictness  of  the  Jewish  Sabbath.  "  The  Jews  are  accus- 
tomed to  rest  on  the  seventh  day;  they  carry  neither  arms,  nor  do 
they  occupy  themselves  with  field-work,  or  an}^  other  business  matter 
on  that  day,  but  spend  the  whole  of  the  day  vintil  evening  sets  in 
with  praying,  and,  when  Ptolemajos  Lagi  laid  siege  to  the  town,  they 
did  not  protect  it,  but  protected  their  law." 

Simon  the  Just  was  unequaled  as  High-priest,  and,  on  account  of 
his  acquaintance  with  the  law,  president  and  active  member  of  the 
great  assembly,  and  in  an  efficient  manner  effected  the  streng-then- 
ing  of  religiousness,  and  participated  zealously  in  all  institutions 
belonging  to  it,  although  these  are  only  partly  known  to  us.  But 
whether  the  writings  of  the  prophets  received  under  him  the  char- 
acter of  being  sacred  documents  (first  canonical  collection),  and  that 
also  the  reading  of  the  prophets  on  the  Sabbath  was  then  intro- 
duced, can  neither  be  affirmed  or  denied.  Forty  years,  it  is  said, 
Simon  administered  as  High-priest  and  beuefactor  of  his  people, 
and  announced  his  death  beforehand,  after  completing  the  service 
of  the  Day  of  Atonement.  In  entering  the  Holy  of  Holies  on  that 
day,  he  used  to  perceive,  every  year,  an  apparition  in  snow-white 
garments,  which  generally  followed  him;  but  as  soon  as  he  once 
missed  this  apparition,  he  considered  it  a  harbinger  of  his  approach- 
ing demise.  He  died  seven  days  after  the  festival  (about 
300).  Posterity  honored  him  as  a  holy  being,  and  related  of  him 
that  during  his  lifetime  the  visible  tokens  of  God's  mercy  never 
ceased.  After  his  death  the  levity  of  Hellenism  began  graduaDy  to 
corrupt  the  people ;  his  grandchild,  Joseph  ben  Tabia,  was  infected 
by  it,  and  his  great-grandchildren  showed  their  bad  example  by 
deserting  Judaism  entirely,  and  thus  brought  about  the  troublesome 
times  under  the  tyrant  Antiochus  Epii^hanes.  Soon  after  Simon's 
death  the  pious  resolved,  in  presentiment  that  degeneracy  and  de- 
sertion seemed  to  be  imminent,  that  the  sons  of  Israel  should  dis- 

PABT   II. — 8 


114 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


continue  uttering  the  sacred  name  of  God.  The  priests  only,  wlien 
they  concluded  the  daily  sacrificial  sei'Vice,  pronounced  from  the 
Duchan  the  blessings  over  the  j^eople,  or  when  the  High-jDriest  on 
the  Day  of  Atonement  uttered  his  confession  of  sins  for  himself,  his 
house,  and  the  nation,  then  they  made  use  of  the  four  letters  of  the 
sacred  name  (Tetrigzammatau),  collectively  and  in  a  devotional 
disposition  of  mind.  Dr.  H.  Graetz. 


Hellenic— Pertaining  to  Hellenes  or  in- 
habitants of  Greece. 

Epithet — Denoting  any  quality  good  or  bad. 

Ascetic— Employed  wholly  in  exercises  of 
devotion  and  mortification  of  tne  flesh 

GrNOME — An  imaginary  being,  supposed  to 
inhabit  the  inner  parts  of  the  earth. 

Delineation— To  represent  a  true  likeness. 

Satrap -A  nobleman  in  ancient  Persia  who 
governed  a  province. 


Ecstacy- Rapture,  enthusiasm. 

Obnate — Decorated. 

Sabbatic — Resembling  the  Sabbath,  bring- 
ing intermission  of  labor. 

ANTAGONIST— An  Opponent. 

Continuity — Uninterrupted  cohesion. 

Nazabean— One  who  gives  himself  up  en- 
tirely to  devotion. 

Deification — The  act  of  deifying  or  making 
a  god. 


ISRAEL'S  BANNEES. 


Ye  true  sons  of  Israel,  e'erfaithful,  un- 
daunted, 
Whose  hearts  still  are  burning  with 
love  and  with  pride, 
For  the  faith  which,  sublime  in  its  power 
and  its  grandeur. 
The  storms  of  long  centuries  has  nobly 
defied. 

Raise  high  the  bright  banner  of  Judah's 
proud  glory, 
The  emblem  of  honor,  the  symbol  of 
light. 
The  flag  that  has  braved  every  peril  and 
danger, 
On  whose  folds  are  engraven  truth, 
justice  and  right. 

Aye,  raise  the  proud  ensign  with  glad 
acclamation. 
Let  it  kiss  the  proud  zephyrs  of  morn- 
ing once  more. 
For  grandly  it  waved  over  sages  and 
martyrs, 
And  beneath  it  have  stood  kings  and 
prophets  of  yore. 

Vain,  vain  were  the  efforts  of  despots 

and  tyrants 
Its  brightness  to  sully,  its  beauty  to 

mar; 
In  adversity's  clouds,  in  the  gloom  of 

misfortune. 


It  shone   like  a  beacon  and  glowed 
like  a  star. 

It  guided  the  Hebrew  through  cruel  op- 
pression, 
Through  darkness  and   sorrow,   in- 
justice and  wrong. 
With  fortitude  grand  and  with  courage 
heroic, 
With  a   faith   e'er   unfaltering,   un- 
yielding and  strong. 

Antiquity's  nations  are  lost  in  oblivion, 
Proud  kingdoms  have  moldered   in 
dust  and  decay. 
And  empires  that  once  were  the  pride, 
and  the  glory, 
And  the  wonder  of  earth,  have  long 
passed  away. 

But  our  flag  is  still  waving,  as  pure  and 
and  as  stainless 
As  when  ages  ago   'twas  in  grandeur 
unfurled, 
When  a  nation  received  the  commands 
of  Jehovah, 
When  the  lightnings  of  Sinai   illum- 
ined the  world. 

In   the   glorious   lands   of   the  radiant 
tropics. 
Where  the  palm  and  the  cedar  are 
kissed  by  the  breeze, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


115 


Which,  laden  with  perfumes  and  sweet- 
scented  flowers, 
Blows  gently  and  soft  o'er  the  bright 
Southern  seas; 

In  the  climes  of  the  North,  where   the 
frost-king  eternal 
Bears  sway,  and  the  storm-winds  in 
fury  e'er  blow, 
Where  the  pole-star  looks  down  in  its 
radiant  effulgence 
On   ice-plains,  bi'ight,  gleaming,  and 
mountains  of  snow; 

In  the  countries  renowned  of  the  far- 
distant  Orient, 
In  whose  seas  and   whose   mines  lie 
treasures  untold; 
On  the  Occident  mountains  that  tower 
in  proud  grandeur. 
Where  the  sun  sinks  to  rest  behind 
billows  of  gold; 

In    America's  beautiful  meadows  and 
valleys, 
E'er  in   nature's  fair    garments    of 
holiday  dressed; 
In  the  isles  of  the  sea,  o'er  the  sands  of 
the  desert, 
In  the  North  and  the  South,  in  the 
East  and  the  West; 

There,  there   is  the   banner  of  Judah 
still  floating, 


In   brightness  and  beauty,  in   glory 
and  might, 
In  its  triumph  o'er  time  and  o'er  tyrants 
proclaiming. 
The  victory  sublime  of  truth,  justice 
and  right. 

Proud  flag  of  our  fathers,  wave  on  in 
thy  splendor, 
Till   sin   and    corruption  from  earth 
shall  depart. 
Till  man  shall  bow  down  before  truth's 
sacred  altar. 
And  love  and  good-will  reign  supreme 
in  each  heart! 

Wave  on — till  all  men  shall  know  and 
acknowledge 
That   honor  alone   is  the  token   of 
worth ; 
Till  grief  shall  be  lose  in  gladness  un- 
ending, 
And   the  angel  of  plenty  shall  smile 
on  the  earth. 

Wave  on — till  like  roaring  of  ocean's 
great  billows, 
Like   heaven's  mighty   thunder,  the 
glad  cry  shall  ring, 
B>om  zone  to  zone — from  nation  to  na- 
tion— 
' '  The  Lord  is  our  God,  and  the  Lord 
is  our  King!" 

.    Max  Meyerhardt. 


Symbol— A.  type;  that  whicli  comprehends  in  i  back,  of  which  the  north  has  the  Tropic   of 


its  figure  a  representation  of  something  else. 
Zephyk— The  west  wind 
Despot — An  absolute  prince. 
Antiquity— Old  times. 
Oblivion—  Forgetf  uiness. 
TKOPics-The  line  at  which  the  sun  turns 


Cancer,  and  the  south  the  tropic  of  Capricorn. 

Orient — Rising  as  the  sun.  Eastern. 

Occident — The  West. 

Zone — A  division  of  the  earth,  with  regard 
to  heat  and  colu.  There  are  five  zones,  viz.: 
the  torrid,  two  frigid  and  two  temijerate. 


THE  MACCABEAN  WAR  OF  LIBERATION. 
I. 

175-140  B. 
After  many  of  the  wealthy  in  Judea  had  come  into  contact  with  the 
Greeks,  and  had  grown  acquainted  with  Grecian  Hfe  and  manners 
at  the  courts  of  Alexandria  and  Antioch,  there  arose  an  irresistible 
desire  among  them  to  draw  Greek  influence  into  Jewish  circles. 
Yet  so  low  was  their  sympathy  with  Hellenic  genius  and  taste,  that 
it  was  not  the  refined  part  of  the  Grecian  nature  which  enticed  them; 
but  they  were  allured  by  the  debauchery,  pomp  and  the  inordinate 


116  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

enjoyments  of  tlie  demoralized  Asiatic  Greeks.  At  the  Jerusalem 
gymnasium  (a  tilt-yard,  where,  in  naked  form,  old  and  young  prac- 
ticed gymnastics),  tlieir  princiijal  effort  was  directed  to  strip  off  from 
the  Jew  everything  whereby  he  is  recognized,  firmly  believing  that 
they  would  thus  succeed  in  being  considered  of  equal  birth  with  the 
Greeks.  But  as  Judaism  with  its  morality  and  earnestness  proved 
an  impediment  to  this  childlike  occupation,  they  conceived  a  pas- 
sionate hatred  toward  their  faith  ;  and  Judaism  being  likewise  inti- 
mately and  indissolubly  associated  with  nationality,  they  became  thus 
the  most  bitter  enemies  of  their  nation.  Without  faction  among  the 
people,  these  Hellenists  were  obliged  to  apjDly  for  aid  to  the  Syrian 
potentates,  in  order  to  enable  them  to  effectuate  their  perversities  ; 
and  thus  they  became  traitors  to  the  nation  they  belonged  to  and  to 
their  paternal  doctrines  and  morals  as  well.  Alas !  that  they  should 
have  counted  men  among  them  who  were  functionaries  of  the  Tem- 
2)ie,  priests,  and  many  a  one  of  old  and  respectable  lineage,  for  their 
acts  caused  thus  the  long  chain  of  affliction  which  befell  Israel  under 
the  Syrian  king,  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  of  whose  tyranny  toward  those 
who  steadfastly  adhered  to  the  God  of  Israel  we  scarcely  find  a  par- 
allel in  history.  But  as  a  disease  threatening  to  destroy  the  whole 
"body  miraculously  displays  all  at  once  some  vital  sj^ark,  inflaming 
anew  the  oppressed  vital  powers  and  forcibly  driving  out  the  destroy- 
ing spirits,  till  with  cheerful  and  lasting  vij^or  the  body  assumes 
again  its  former  activity,  in  the  same  manner  there  was  yet  a  seed 
of  soUd  nature  germinating  in  this  almost  dissolved  nation,  which 
grew  up  amidst  the  storms,  unitiug  everything  afi'esh. 

Passing  over  the  foul  murder  of  the  noble  High-priest,  Onias  ( Jech- 
anja),  and  that  of  the  pious  Eleasar,  together  with  the  slaughter  of  the 
devout  mother  and  her  seven  chjjdren,  as  well  as  the  many  thousands 
of  other  victims  who,  for  the  sake  of  truth,  suffered  martyrdom,  it 
happened  that  Aj^pellas,  a  delegate  of  the  Syrian  governor  Phillipus, 
came  to  Modin  (IVlodaim),  a  place  near  Jerusalem,  in  order  that  the 
Jews  residing  there,  who  were  still  persisting  in  their  faith,  should 
be  forced  into  subjection.  In  the  same  place  there  lived  a  highly 
xesjDectable  famil}'  of  priests,  whose  ancestral  name  was  Hasmonai. 
The  descendants  of  this  family  then  living  were  Matatia,  the  father 
of  five  sons,  bearing  the  names  of  Jochanan,  Gadi,  Simon  Thassi, 
Jehuda  Maccabee,  Eleazar  Havran,  and  Jonathan  Haphus.  Owing 
to  this  family  being  one  of  great  influence,  Ai:)pellas  was  in  hoj)esthat 
in  gaining  them  for  his  purpose  it  would  enable  him  to  execute  his 
plan  more  easily.  Therefore,  he  directed  his  first  summons  to  them, 
requiring  them  to  offer  sacrifices  on  an  altar  he  had  erected,  and 
holding  out  tempting  promises  of  what  the  king  would  bestow  upon 
them  should  they  comply  with  his  request.  But  they  steadfastly  re- 
fused comj)liance,  declaring  even  publicly  their  indignation  in  being 
thus  called  upon  to  transgress  their  holy  law.     "  If  all  nations  should 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  117 

obey  Aiitiochus,"  said  Matatia,  "  and  every  one  felt  ready  to  desert 
the  law  of  their  fathers,  I  would,  nevertheless,  tof^ether  with  my  sons 
and  my  brethren,  still  cling  to  the  law  of  my  God." 

It  occurred,  however,  that  one  of  their  confederates  was  induced  to 
sacrifice  on  the  altar,  whereui:)on  their  zeal  overpowered  them,  and 
with  one  stroke  the  old  man  brought  the  apostate  to  the  ground; 
whilst  his  sons,  assisted  by  others,  destroyed  the  altar  and  slew  Ap- 
pellas  with  his  accomplices.  This  was  the  first  signal  for  I'evolt,  and 
being  once  put  in  motion  it  soon  grew  of  sufficient  strength.  In 
order  to  adopt  proper  measures,  Matatia  and  his  sons  fled  to  the 
mountains,  leaving  their  possessions  in  Modin;  many  others  who  also 
could  not  endure  their  oppression  took  refuge  in  the  desert,  where 
they  spent  a  miserable  existence  by  living  upon  roots  and  herbs. 
Thus  the  mountains  and  steep  rocks  of  the  middle-lands,  where  the 
caverns  offered  a  safe  retreat,  were  soon  tilled  with  rebels,  who  de- 
sired nothing  but  inflexible  resistance.  A  Syrian  captain  marched 
against  them  and  soon  came  upon  a  body  of  about  1,000  men,  whom  he 
summoned  to  surrender.  But  as  his  challenge  was  not  listened  to  he 
awaited  the  next  Sabbath,  and  then  massacred  all  these  defenceless 
men,  who^  on  that  holy  day,  would  not  fight,  nor  even  throw  stones, 
or  barricade  the  entrances  of  their  caverns.  ''  We  will  die  inno- 
cently," they  called  aloud,  "and heaven  and  earth  shall  bear  witness 
that,  in  taking  our  lives,  jou  are  guilty  of  an  act  of  great  injustice.'' 
Being  terrified  by  this  fresh  misfortvme,  Matatia  resolved,  in  case  of 
an  attack,  upon  fighting  even  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Gradually  Ma- 
tatia and  his  sons  brought  together  a  small  army  of  brave  and  pious 
men,  w^ho  were  ready  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  their  faith.  In  self- 
defence  they  now  proceeded  as  the  attacking  party.  Small  bodies 
appeared  here  and  there,  entered  several  towns  and  villages  and  de- 
feated theii"  persecutors,  killed  the  apostates,  and  destroyed  the 
altars  of  the  heathen,  circumcised  the  remaining  uncircumcised 
children  and  insisted  upon  the  immediate  restoration  of  the  syna- 
gogue worship. 

A  few  months  after  the  commencement  of  the  revolt,  Matatia, 
ah'eady  an  old  man,  felt  his  end  apj)roaching,  and  therefore  called 
his  children  unto  him,  inspiring  them  with  fresh  courage,  and  urged 
them  to  adhere  faithfully  to  the  law  of  God,  and  to  risk  their  lives 
for  the  preservation  of  the  covenant.  "  Consider  only,"  said  he , 
"  what  happened  generation  after  generation,  and  you  will  find  that 
all  who  put  their  trust  in  God  never  succumbed  under  their  afflic- 
tions. Your  brother  Simon  is  wise,  and  him  you  shall  obey  as  father; 
but  Judah,  in  his  vigor  of  youth,  is  strong,  and  he  shall  become  the 
leader  of  the  army  to  carry  on  the  war  for  this  holy  cause."  These 
were  the  last  words  of  this  high-minded  old  man,  whom  his  sons 
buried  in  Modin,  and  mourned  for  by  every  one  in  Israel. 

With  lion-like  courage  Judah  noAv  commenced  the  struggle.     Ap- 


118  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

polonius,  Governor  of  Naples,  became  the  first  victim  of  these  des- 
perate combatants.  He  scarcely  had  advanced  when  Judah  went  to 
meet  him,  massacred  his  troojDs  and  slew  him  also.  His  sword,  which 
became  Judah's  booty,  never  left  the  hand  of  the  young  hero.  Soon 
after  this  Seron  advanced  against  him  with  a  larger  force.  They  met 
upon  the  heights  of  Bet-Horon,  and  the  Syrians  suffered  a  terrible 
defeat,  and  lost  also  their  commander.  The  news  of  these  disasters 
irritated  Antiochus;  the  more  so,  because  there  were  still  other  causes 
which  j)laced  him  in  ditificulties;  inasmuch  as  by  his  dissipation  his 
treasui'y  had  become  exhausted,  and,  besides,  many  provinces,  feeling 
encouraged  by  the  step  Judah  had  taken,  refused  to  pay  tribute  and 
threatened  to  shake  off'  the  oppressive  yoke  of  the  Syrians.  His  em- 
barrassment increased  his  rage,  and  whilst  he  himself  advanced  north- 
ward, he  ordered  his  minion,  Lysias,  to  enter  Judea,  there  to  anni- 
hilate all  the  Israehtes,  and  to  colonize  the  country  with  a  strange 
peojile.  An  army  of  40,000  foot  and  7,000  horsemen  advanced,  and 
he  felt  so  sure  of  victory  that  Nicanor,  one  of  the  commanders  ap- 
pointed under  Lysias,  made  publicly  known  that  a  rich  and  well  sup- 
plied slave  market  was  to  be  opened,  and  that  he  would  be  ready  to  sell 
ninety  Jewish  women  and  childi'en  for  one  talent.  These  boasting 
proclamations  actually  enticed  many  merchants  to  the  spot  in  order 
to  buy  the  Jewish  prisoners.  Judah,  however,  could  only  muster 
6,000  men.  After  dividing  his  army  and  i:)lacing  each  division  un- 
der the  command  of  one  of  his  brothers,  and  holding  a  solemn  ser- 
vice at  Mizpah,  he  moved  to  meet  the  enemy.  Although  his  army 
was  small,  he  nevertheless  issued  the  order  prescribed  according  to 
law  (Deut.  xx:  5),  that  all  who  had  built  a  new  house  and  had  not 
yet  consecrated  it,  and  those  who  had  planted  a  vineyard  and  had 
not  yet  kej)t  the  first  vintage,  together  with  those  who  had  aflianced 
themselves  to  a  woman  and  had  not  yet  been  wedded,  and,  besides, 
also  those  who  lacked  courage  to  go  into  battle,  were  at  liberty  to 
quit  the  army.  "  It  is  better  for  us,"  the  army  replied,  "  to  die  in 
battle  than  to  behold  our  nation  in  misery." 

One  evening  Judah  announced  that  a  battle  was  to  take  place  the 
next  day ;  but  being  informed  that  Georgias,  a  Syrian  general,  had 
left  his  camp  with  5,000  foot  and  1,000  horsemen  to  sui'prise  the 
Jewish  army  in  the  flank  that  very  night,  he  at  once  set  out  with  all 
his  iorces  and  svu-prised  the  SjTian  camjD.  The  confusion  which  this 
unexpected  night  attack  brought  about  caused  the  Syrians  a  loss  of 
3,000  men,  whilst  the  rest  took  to  flight.  Judah  waited  now  the  re- 
turn of  Georgias,  who,  to  his  astonishment,  found  his  camp  in  flames. 
Great  was  the  terror  which  beset  his  warriors;  they  shunned  fight- 
ing, and  many  threw  away  their  arms.  Judah  pursued  the  flying 
enemy,  whereby  several  thousand  lost  their  lives,  and  thus  almost 
the  whole  of  the  Syrian  army  was  destroyed.  Nicanor,  disguised  in 
the  di'ess  of  a  slave,  escaped  to  Antio6h.     After  this  great  success 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  119 

they  kept  a  joyful  Sabbath  day,  thanking  God  for  the  victory  thus 
obtained,  and  imploring  his  further  mercy.  Other  divisions  of  tlie 
Syrian  army  were  also  defeated.  On  all  occasions  rich  booty  was 
gained,  and  Calisthenes,  who,  by  the  taking  of  the  Temple,  had 
burned  the  gates,  was  made  prisoner  in  a  hut  where  he  had  taken 
refuge,  and  committed  to  the  flames.  All  these  happy  results  won 
for  Judah  much  influence,  and  thus  more  and  more  able  fighting 
men  joined  his  flag.  The  next  yearLysias  himself  advanced  against 
him  with  an  army  of  G0,000  foot  ancl  5,000  horsemen,  and  Judah, 
who  had  now  10,000  men  under  his  command,  met  him  at  B^tsur, 
westward  from  Jerusalem,  where  he  obtained  a  decisive  victory  over 
Lysias. 

But,  to  crown  the  work  which  he  had  begun,  Judah  resolved  upon 
another  daring  enterprise.  While  he  fortified  Betsur,  to  be  safe 
from  the  hostile-disposed  Idumreans,  he  advanced  with  his  brothers 
and  the  best  of  his  troops  against  Jerusalem,  in  order  to  restore  the 
solemn  service  of  the  Temple.  On  their  ariival  they  found  the  altar 
desecrated,  the  places  overgrown  with  grass  and  bushes,  and  the 
dwellings  of  the  j^riests  falling  to  pieces.  This  sight  had  such  an 
effect  upon  them  that  they  rent  their  clothes,  scattered  ashes  on  their 
heads,  fell  upon  their  faces,  sounded  the  trumpet,  and  cried  aloud  to 
the  heavens  above.  Hereupon  they  begun  their  work.  The  Syrian 
fortification,  situated  on  a  liiU  opposite,  was  invested  by  a  nvimber 
of  brave  Avarriors,  who  resisted  every  sally,  and  soon  a  strong  bul- 
wark was  erected  opposite  the  Temple,  whereby  the  laborers  were 
kept  from  molestation.  From  the  booty  they  restored  the  golden 
vessels,  whilst  the  priests  cleansed  the  TemjDle  and  the  fore-courts, 
and  prepared  everything  for  the  service  of  God. 

On  the  25th  of  Kislev,  when  aU  was  properly  arranged,  they  kept 
the  feast  of  dedication  during  eight  consecutive  days,  offering  sacri- 
fices, and  singing  praises  and  thanksgivings  unto  the  Holy  One  in 
Israel.  The  finding  of  a  jar  of  consecrated  oil,  with  the  seal  of  the 
Temple  u.pon  it,  must  be  considered  a  miracle  of  Divine  providence, 
as  the  same  proved  sufiicient  for  lighting  the  Temple  during  eight 
days,  when  fresh  oil  was  then  ready.  From  that  time  it  became  a 
law  in  Israel  to  celebrate  yearly  these  eight  days  (Chanukah)  by  illu- 
minating the  houses  and  synagogues,  and  also  by  praising  and  giving 
thanks  to  Him  who  had  vouchsafed  unto  Israel  all  these  mercies. 

n. 

The  news  of  the  restoration  of  the  Jewish  Temple,  with  its  divine 
services,  brought  aU  the  hostile  heathen  nations  against  the  Macca- 
bees, so  that  Judah  and  his  brothers  had  to  fight  on  all  sides,  in 
order  to  protect  their  people  from  persecutions;  but  they  j)roved 
successful  everywhere.  Antiochus  was  on  a  journey  when  the  news 
reached  him  that  Lysias  as  well  as  the  generals   under  his  command 


120  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

had  been  defeated;  that  the  Jews  had  fortified  Betsur,  which  was 
now  occvipied  by  a  garrison,  and  that  the  Temple  had  been  restored. 
He  resolved,  therefore,  to  advance  once  more  against  the  people  he 
so  much  liated,  taking  a  vow  that  he  would  turn  Jerusalem  into  a 
jDit  for  their  dead  bodies.  However,  it  never  came  to  this,  for  the 
Almighty  decreed  otherwise.  Antiochus  was  stricken  with  sickness, 
suffering  excruciating  pain,  from  which  no  medical  aid  could  free 
him,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  use  great  haste  on  his  journey.  In 
his  hurry  he  fell  fi'om  his  carriage,  thus  aggravating  the  disease  fi'om 
which  he  suffered.  Under  these  afflictions  he  soon  changed  his  reso- 
lution, i^romising  not  to  molest  the  holy  city,  to  bestow  rich  presents 
on  the  Temple,  and  to  proclaim  everywhere  the  power  and  greatness 
of  God.  But  God,  from  whom  no  secrets  are  hid,  knew  well  that  it 
was  not  true  repentance,  and  he  suffered  a  jDainful  death  far  away 
from  his  home.  In  this  manner  the  prophesy  of  the  youngest  of  the 
seven  brothers,  whom  he  had  innocently  slain,  became  thus  fulfilled : 
"  Thou  wilt  yet,  under  pain  and  torture,  acknowledge  that  the  God 
of  Israel  is  the  only  true  God." 

However,  neither  the  restoration  of  the  divine  service  nor  the 
death  of  the  king  brought  this  terrible  war  to  an  end.  Judah  had 
hitherto  been  victorious,  but  now  heavy  trials  awaited  him.  Eupator, 
the  son  of  Antiochus,  a  mere  bo}^  succeeded  to  the  throne,  and 
undertook,  with  Lysias,  an  expedition  against  Jerusalem.  His  army 
counted  100,000  foot  and  2,000  horsemen,  besides  thirty-two  elephants. 
With  this  enormous  power  he  advanced  against  Betsur.  Judah 
hastened  to  its  relief,  but  was  unable  to  stand  against  this  overwhelm- 
ing strength.  He,  therefore,  retired  upon  Jerusalem,  and  Betsur 
surrendered  under  favorable  conditions.  In  this  last  battle  he  had 
to  deplore  the  loss  of  his  brother  Eleasar,  who,  mshing  to  secure 
victory,  ventured,  in  his  daring  bravery,  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy, 
when  he  mistook  a  full-equipped  elephant  for  the  one  ujion  which 
the  king  sat,  and,  creeping  under  the  same,  stabbed  it  until  it  fell 
dead  ujDon  him,  and  thus  the  thoughtless  hero  was  crushed  to  death. 

After  Betsur  had  surrendered  the  Syrian  army  advanced  as  far  as 
the  Temple-mount,  where  Judah  had  to  defend  himself,  and  where 
his  ruin  became  almost  a  certainty,  had  not  another  fortunate  occur- 
rence saved  him  from  his  difliculties.  A  message  reached  the  Syrian 
camp  that  Philip,  a  friend  of  the  deceased  and  guardian  of  the 
present  king,  had  attempted  to  seize  upon  the  throne,  on  account  of 
which  Lysias  urged  a  peace,  which  was  soon  accomplished.  The 
Jews  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  toward  the  Syi'ians,  under  the  condi- 
tion that  religious  fi-eedom  and  all  the  fortified  places  should  be 
granted  them.  The  last  condition,  however,  Lysias  soon  broke,  for 
he  immediately  gave  orders  that  the  waD  which  protected  the 
Temple  should  be  demolished;  showing,  nevertheless,  that  he  was  in 
earnest  in  keeping  peace  by  having  Menelaus  executed  as  the  author 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  121 

of  all  mischief  and  the  iusti<,^ator  of  the  war.  Alkim  (Jakim),  a  friend 
to  Hellenism,  took  his  place,  and,  being  of  priestly  descent,  he  was 
made  High-priest.  He  was,  however,  to  the  Jews  just  as  corruptible 
as  his  predecessor.  But  scarcely  had  Demetrius  Soter,  son-in-law 
of  Antiochus  (to  whom  the  Syrian  throne  really  belonged,  already  be- 
fore Antiochus  returned  from  Rome,  where  he  lived  as  hostage), 
ascended  the  throne  after  the  assassination  of  Eupator  and  Lysias, 
when  Alkim  appHed  to  him  to  bring  Judali  under  subjection. 

Demetrius  granted  his  request  and  sent  a  strong  army,  first  under 
Bacchides,  and  then  under  the  command  of  the  well-known  Nicanor, 
in  order  to  attack  Judah.  A  battle  was  fought,  and  Nicanor  lost 
5,000  men.  A  second  time  the  opposing  forces  met  at  Bet-Horon, 
for  Nicanor  had  received  reinforcement,  whilst  .ludah  had  only  3,000 
men  under  his  command.  The  Syrians,  however,  were  defeated,  and 
Nicanor  lost  his  life  on  the  battle-field.  That  day — Nicanor's  day — 
which  happened  on  the  IBth  of  Adar,  was  instituted  as  a  holiday,  but 
the  same,  having  become  obsolete,  is  not  celebrated  at  the  present 
time.  Judah,  who  now  plainly  saw  that  he  had  but  little  to  expect 
from  the  Syrians,  sent  an  ambassador  to  Rome,  who  succeeded  in 
entering  ujDon  an  alliance  with  that  great  power;  but,  as  regards  ad- 
vantages which  the  J  ews  may  have  gained  by  this  league,  we  are  left 
without  information.  'J'hus,'^  while  Judah  was  engaged  in  taking 
these  steps  for  the  welfare  of  his  people,  the  end  of  his  eventful  life 
was  ajiproaching,  and  the  time  w^as  near  when  his  unfortunate  nation 
should  have  to  lose  his  strong  arm. 

Em-aged  at  the  defeat  of  N  icanor,  Demetrius  sent  once  more  with 
the  High-priest,  Alkim,  under  the  command  of  Bacchides,  20,000 
foot  and  2,000  horsemen  to  make  another  attack  upon  Judah,  who 
had  now  only  8U0  men  at  his  disposal.  The  only  chance  he  had  was 
flight,  but  he  preferred  death  to  this  humiliating  expedient.  With 
lion-like  courage  he  threw  himself  upon  the  enemy,  who,  at  the  com- 
mencement, gave  way  on  all  sides.  But  he  was  soon  obliged  to  suc- 
cumb to  the  overwhelming  strength  continually  brought  to  bear 
against  him,  and  he  finished  his  eventful  career  on  the  field  of  battle, 
dying  for  his  religion,  his  people,  and  his  country.  His  brothers 
buried  him  in  the  family  sepulchre  at  Modin,  and  all  Israel  mourned 
for  him,  for,  by  the  death  of  this  hero,  it  had  indeed  become  an 
orphan. 

After  his  death  the  people  became  dejected,  and  many  yielded 
to  Bacchides ;  a  famine  forcing  submission.  But  the  remaining  three 
brothers  soon  took  courage,  and  their  resistance  against  the  Sp'ians 
was  continued  under  Jonathan's  leadership.  He  was  no  less  brave 
than  Judah,  and  in  prudence  and  sagacity  he  was  even  his  superior. 

These  advantages  came  very  useful  to  him.  About  this  time  the 
strife  for  the  possession  of  the  throne  brought  many  troubles  on 
Syria,  which  were  very  beneficial  for  Israel.     A  certain  Alexander 


132  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Bolas,  pretending"  to  be  a  son  of  Antioclius  Epiplianes,  arose  against 
Demetrius,  in  order  to  disjjlace  him.  Demetrius,  fearful  of  losing 
Judea  altogether,  resolved  upon  acknowledging  Jonathan.  He  gave 
him  permission  to  raise  troops  and  to  procure  arms,  and  ordered  the 
Sf  I'ian  garrisons  to  withdraw  from  the  fortifications.  Jonathan  now 
commenced  rebuilding"  Jerusalem,  erecting  a  fresh  wall  on  the 
Temple-mount,  strengthening  Mount  Zion  by  square  stones,  and 
other  places  were  foriified.  But  Alexander  also  sought  Jonathan's 
assistance.  He  sent  him  a  purple  cloak,  a  golden  crown,  and  the 
appointment  of  High-priest.  This  oifer  Jonathan  accejited  also,  and 
on  the  feast  of  Tabernacle  (153)  he,  for  the  first  time,  entered  the 
sanctuary  as  High-priest.  Demetrius  now  held  out  still  greater  and 
better  promises;  but,  being  disliked  by  the  people,  Jonathan  re- 
mained an  adherent  of  Alexander,  by  whom  he  was  much  esteemed. 
Alexander,  however,  did  not  abide  on  the  Syi'ian  throne,  which 
changed  its  possessor  continually. 

Jonathan  and  his  brother  Simon  made  good  use  of  these  circum- 
stances, in  order  to  make  Judea  still  more  indej)endent  and  self- 
subsisting.  They  also  sent,  the  same  as  Judah  had  done,  an  am- 
bassador to  Rome,  and  received  many  friendly  and  peaceful  assurances 
from  that  quarter.  But.  alas !  Jonathan,  generally  so  prudent  and 
heedful,  had  to  succumb  to  craftiness,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
treacherous  Tryphon — a  Syrian  commander— who  had  him  executed, 
after  he  had  already  taken  Jochanan  prisoner,  who  had  to  share  the 
same  fate.  Judah  had  executed  more  heroic  deeds,  and  his  fame  in 
war  was  more  splendid  than  Jonathan's,  who,  however,  had  raised  his 
l^eople  to  might  and  influence,  and  made  his  generation  one  of  great 
repute,  on  account  of  having  gained  the  dignity  of  High-jn'iest.  To 
seek  for  a  similar  picture  of  both  brothers  from  tlie  past  history  of 
the  Israelites,  we  should  have  to  compare  Judah  with  one  of  the 
Judges,  but  Jonathan  with  Savil,  the  first  king  in  Israel.  Simon  had 
his  earthly  remains  entombed  in  the  family  sepulchre  at  Modin,  and 
the  whole  peoj)le  mourned  for  their  wise  hero,  who  fell  a  sacrifice  for 
Israel,  which  he  led  again  into  the  ranks  of  free  and  indej^endent 
nations. 

Simon  Thassi,  the  fifth  heroic  son,  undertook  now  the  guidance 
of  the  Jewish  nation.  Although  already  advanced  in  years,  he  still 
j)ossessed  the  fiery  courage  and  vigor  of  youth,  as  at  that  time  when 
his  dying  father  recommended  him  as  covinselor  in  the  war  then 
j^ending.  Four  sons,  full  of  hope,  were  ready  to  assist  him.  He  at 
once  declared  himself  independent  of  Syria,  and  did  not  wait,  as  was 
usual,  to  have  the  dignity  of  High-priest  confirmed  by  the  king.  He 
also  obtained  for  Judea  a  discharge  fi'om  paying  taxes,  and  now  they 
ceased  counting  the  change  of  the  year  after  the  Syrian  kings,  but  com- 
menced from  the  year  142,  according  to  the  princes  belonging  to  the 
family  of  the  Hasmonfeans.     Another  matter  of  imjDortance  was  that 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


133 


lie  expelled  the  yet  remainiii<^-  Hellenists,  who  could  still  be  met  with  at 
the  fort  in  Jerusalem  and  in  several  other  fortifications,  and  thus  the 
last  vestio^e  of  those  who  brought  so  much  misery  upon  Israel  was 
entirely  extirpated.  Simon  thought  to  secure  the  independence  of 
the  Jewish  state  by  placing  himself  under  the  protection  of  the 
Eomans.  Therefore  he  sent  an  ambassador  to  the  Roman  Senate, 
who  were  not  disinclined  to  enter  upon  an  alliance  with  the  Jewish 
nation.  But  the  intercourse,  as  was  proved  afterward,  had  more 
evil  consequences  than  Simon  really  expected. 

As  the  Syrian  power  over  Israel  was  now  entirely  broken,  the  peo- 
ple resolved  in  public  assembly  to  choose  Simon  as  hereditary  prince 
in  Israel,  and  as  High-priest  as  well.  This  resolution  was  engraved 
on  brazen  tablets,  which  were  deposited  in  the  Temple.  Simon  also 
coined  money  in  proof  o'f  the  independence  of  the  Jewish  state.  In 
many  collections  we  find,  now  and  then,  Jewish  coins,  which  are  of 
great  value  for  their  antiquity,  bimon  fell  by  the  hand  of  his  own 
son-in-law,  Ptolemseus,  governor  of  Jericho,  with  whom  he  was  stay- 
ing at  the  time.  Thus  ended  the  last  brother  of  the  Hasmonreans, 
none  of  whom  died  a  tranquil  death,  but  all  expii-ed  for  the  cause  of 
the  people  and  the  sanctuary.  Judah  and  Eleasar  died  on  the  field 
of  battle;  Jochanan,  Jonathan  and  Simon,  less  fortunate  than  their 
brothers,  had  to  succumb  to  the  craftiness  of  the  enemies  of  theii- 
people.  But  their  memory  will  forever  be  blessed  in  Israel,  for,  by 
their-  blood,  they  have  saved  the  most  sacred  of  all  possessions,  God's 
revealed  law  unto  Israel.  Ludwig  Stekn. 


Dr.  Ludwig  Stern— Noted  as  a  writer  of  many  useful  works  for  educational  purposes. 

Gymnastics  —  The  performing    of  athletic        Faction— A  party  in  a  state, 
(vigorous)  exercises.  Apostate— One   that  has  forsaken    his  re- 

Indissolubly — In    a  manner  resisting  all    ligion. 
separation.  Minion— A  favorite. 


HANNAH  AND  HER  SEVEN  SONS." 


All  is  desohite  and  dark  !  To  me  there's 

no  light, 
Since   they   took   from   the   world    my 

treasures  so  bright. 
My  children  !   my  children  !  beats  yet 

my  heart, 
When  all  of  its  strings  are  thus  riven 

apart ! 
Yet  for  Israel's  God  this  suff'ring  I  bear. 
And  would  bear  a  greater,  if  greater 

there  were. 

Oh,  how  the  whole  scene  is  burned  into 

my  brain ! 
I  see  the  vile  Syrians,  with  faces  like 

Cain, 
Rush  over  my  threshold  and  ruthlessly 

seizj 


All  my  seven  fair  sons,  while  1  on  n-'y 

knees, 
With  tears  and  implorings,  beseech  them 

to  wait — 
Hope  whispers  that  Time  might  avert 

their  dread  fate — 

I  knew  'twas  but  yesterday  the   old 

scribe  they  slew, 
The  old  Eleazar,  to  Israel  so  true — 
On  my  knees  I  implore  them  to  waic  but 

a  day; 
They  mock  at  my  pleading;    then  drag 

•      us  away 
And  cast  us  in  prison ;    but  leave  us  not 

long; 
The  bigot  his  triumph  will  show  to  the 

throng. 


124 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


With  wickedest  pleasure,  he  calls  for 

the  first 
Of   my  beautiful  boys,  the  one  that  I 

nursed 
In  the  flush  of    my  youth,  when  Judea 

was  free; 
0  God,  keep  his  heart  firmly  true  unto 

Thee! 
Ha !     The  king  commands  homage  to 

him  and  his  gods; 
He  looks  up  to  heaven,  nor  falter  his 

words: 

"  God  forbid  that  homage  to  thee  I 
should  show  " — 

"  Israel's  God  is  my  God  !  to  none  else 
will  I  bow  !" 

They  lead  him  to  death,  my  first  born  ! 
my  pride  ! 

And  now  tear  ray  second  fair  boy  from 
my  side, 

And  place  him  in  front  of  the  con- 
queror's throne; 

Thou  wilt  not,  my  son,  thy  religion  dis- 
own ! 

His  answer  is  ready;  he  quick  makes 
reply, 

"  My  brother  bowed  not,  and  no  more 
will  I." 

"Why  not?"  asks  the  tyrant.  "Be- 
cause," says  my  boy, 

And  his  face  glows  i-esplendeht  with 
heavenly  joy, 

"  Our  second  commandment  tells  all — 
even  thee — 

'  No  other  gods  shalt  thou  have  before 
Me.''" 

Death  follows  his    brave  words;    my 

third  boy  they  take; 
Be  still,  my  wild  heart — not   yet  must 

thou  break. 
My  third  one  !  my  hero  !    How  princely 

his  port  ! 
"  No  other  gods  shalt  thou  worship,  is 

taught 
In  my  pm-e  religion ;  more  gladly  I  meet 
The  fate  of  brothers  than  bow  at  thy 

feet." 
These   proud  words  the  death-blow  as 

guerdon  receive. 
My  fourth    boy   they   take;    will    the 

tyrant  achieve 
Any  conquest  over  his  soft,  gentle  heart  ? 


Fear  not,  my  sweet  son,  bear  bravely 

thy  part ! 
Yes;    he,  too,  is   faithful.      He   utters 

these  words: 
"  He  that  sacrificeth  to  all  other  gods. 
Save   the  Lord  only,  shall   be  wholly 

destroyed." 
Alas  !    he,  too,  is  slain  !     How  widens 

the  void 
In  my  sore  stricken  heart.     Ha !  now 

my  fifth  lad 
They  drag  to  the  tyrant,  who,  already 

mad. 
Becomes  doubly  enraged  at  the  words 

of  my  son: 
"  Hear,  0  Israel !     The  Lord  our  God, 

He  is  One." 

With  this  watchword  of  faith  he  yields 
his  young  life. 

Now  they  come  for  my  sixth;  his  spirit 
is  rife 

With  scorn  and  contempt  for  the  des- 
pot's vain  power, 

Nor  scourges  nor  threats  will  cause  him 
to  cower. 

"  Why  so  obstinate  ?"  asks  the  tyrant, 
more  mild; 

Waver  not,  my  dear  son,  thou'rt  Judea's 
true  child. 

"Think'st   thou  I'm   affrighted?      My 

God  is  still  here; 
He  is  mighty  and  terrible;    Him  only  I 

fear. 
And  thou,  too,  wilt  one  day  acknowledge 

His  might, 
And  suffer  that  thou  hast  usurped  His 

right." 
They  take  him   to  death,  in  his  fresh, 

joyous  youth. 
That    thus    he   pronounces    the    stern 

words  of  truth. 

What  horror  is   this  !      My   youngest 

ye'U  take — 
My  baby  !  My  darhng  !  Oh,  for  the  sake 
Of  the  mother  who  bore  you,  spare  me 

this  son  ! 
My  six  have  ye   murdered !     Will   ye 

leave  me  not  one  ? 
They  heed  not  my  pleading,  but  drag 

him  away. 
Oh,  Father  of  Heaven,  is  this  but  one 

dav  ? 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


125 


But    see,   the    base    murderer    speaks 

kindly  to  hiin. 
My  sweet,  precious  child,  do  nothiiifi;  to 

dim 
The   lustre   that   shines   from    thy   six 

brothers  gone. 
Be  true  to  thy  God,  e'en  though  thou'rt 

undone. 
Now  the  king  hands  him  treasure  and 

tells  him  to  live, 
And  promises  all,  if  allegia*ice  he'll  give. 

See,  now  does  he  cast  his  ring  on  the 

ground, 
Now  shows  him  his  dead  brothers  lying 

around, 
And  tells  him  their  fate  will  be  his  if  he 

dare 
Refuse  to  stoop  for  it.      Still  lies   the 

ring  there. 
"  Think' st  thou  that  I  fear  thy  threats  ?" 

says  my  boy; 
"  Our  God  is  the  great  King  of  kings. 

Then  why 
Should  I  give  allegiance  to  other  than 

He>' 
"If  thy  God  is  so  great,  why  saves  he 

not  thee 
From    my    power?"     asks    the    king. 

"  Because,"  he  replies, 
And  in  his  young  face  a  grandeur  doth 

rise, 
"  I  am  not  worthy  redemption  from  thee, 
And  thou  art  not  worthy  God's  great- 
ness to  see." 

"Slay  the  lad  like  his  brothers,"  the 

tyrant  commands. 
Oh,  cruel   king,  ere   thou    steepest  thy 

hands 
In  the  blood  of  my  little  one,  let  me  be 

slain. 


I  cannot  endure  this  mountain  «f  pain. 
"  Nay,  thy  own  laws  forbid,"  the  tyrant 

doth  say; 
"  Sheep  nor  cow  with  its  young  shalt 

thou  kill  in  one  day." 

Oh,  woe  to  thee,  murderer,  our  laws  to 

pervert  '■ 
The   God  of  our  race   will  inflict  thy 

desert. 
Come,  my  sweet  angel,  my   lamb,  ere 

we  part, 
Kiss  thy  poor   mother !     Come  nearer 

my  heart ! 
Oh,  courage  !    ray  dear  one,  tell  Abra- 
ham there 
My  sacriiice  hath  his   much  exceeded; 

where 
He  built  one  altar,  1  have  built  seven  ! 
He  offered  one  Isaac;    all  mine  have  1 

given  ! 
A  little  longer !     A  little  longer  !    Fare- 
well, my  son  ! 
'Tis  for  God's  glory;  His  will  be  done. 
There,  there  are  my  childien,  my  dear 

treasures,  all ! 
They  see  me  !    and   now  they  beckon 

and  call 
To  come  and  join  there  in  that  beautiful 

place. 
Yes  !     Yes  '    my  beloved  ones,  quick, 

quick  will  I  trace 
My  steps   to   our   house-top,  and  thou 

canst  reach  there. 
And  with  thy  strong  arms,  draw  me  up 

through  the  air. 
We'll  cheat  the  mad  tyrant,  and  dwell 

in  our  home; 
Yes!     Yes!  my  beloved,  I'm  coming! 

I  come  ! 

Mrs.  M.  D.  Louis. 


Guerdon — Keward,  recompense. 


THE  MART  YE  MOTHER. 

Where  in  the  vast  tomes  of  history,  sacred  or  profane,  shall  we 
find  a  deed  more  heroic,  a  fortitude  more  sublime,  than  is  recorded 
of  Hannah,  the  Hebrew  mother,  during  the  persecution  of  Antiochus  ? 
"We  read  in  the  second  Maccabees,  chap,  vii.,  confirmed  also  by  all  our 
Hebrew  writers,  that  a  mother  and  her  seven  sons  were  taken,  and 
brought  before  the  tyrant,  who,  in  the  wantonness  of  cruelty,  com- 
manded them  to  eat  the  forbidden  meat,  commencing  first  with  the 


126  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

more  moderate  torment  of  whips  and  scourges,  but  heightening 
them  gradually  to  tortures,  which  we  leave  our  readers  to  peruse  in 
the  chajDter  we  have  quoted;  for  the  soul  sickens  to  dwell  upon 
them,  as  deHberately  to  write  them  down.  We  will  content  ourselves 
with  repeating  the  words  they  sj^ake  in  the  midst  of  those  appalling 
sufferings,  for  surely  they  are  in  themselves  witness  of  what  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Eternal  taught. 

"What  wouldst  thou  ask  or  learn  of  us?"  the  first  said;  "we  are 
ready  to  die  rather  than  transgress  the  laws  of  our  fathers."  And  as 
his  brethren  beheld  his  lingering  torments,  instead  of  failing,  they 
exhorted  one  another,  and  their  mother,  to  die  manfully,  saying  thus: 
"  The  Lord  God  looketh  upon  us,  and  in  truth  hath  comfort  in  us,  as 
Moses,  which  in  his  song,  witnessed  to  their  faces,  declared;  and  he 
shall  be  comforted  in  his  servants."  To  the  second  the  cjuestion  was 
j)ut,  "  Wilt  thou  eat?"  under  threat  of  similar  tortures  which  he  had 
witnessed,  but  in  vain.  "  Thou,  like  a  fury,  takest  us  out  of  this  life," 
he  said,  in  the  very  agonies  of  death,  "but  the  King  of  the  World 
shall  raise  us  up,  who  have  died  for  His  laws,  unto  everlasting  life." 
The  third  himself  stretched  forth  his  limbs  for  the  torture,  saying: 
"  These  I  had  from  Heaven,  and  for  His  law  I  despise  them,  for 
from  Him  I  expect  to  receive  them  again."  Inasmuch  as  the  king 
and  those  that  were  with  him  marvelled  at  the  young  man's  courage, 
for  that  he  nothing  regarded  his  pains.  The  fourth  then  suffered, 
and  he  said:"  "  It  is  good,  being  put  to  death  by  man,  to  look  for  hope 
from  God  to  be  raised  up  again  for  Him ;  as  for  thee,  thou  shalt  have 
no  resurrection  to  life."  And  the  fifth,  in  his  dying  agony,  calmly 
looked  upon  the  king,  and  said :  "  Thou  hast  power  over  men,  but 
art  corruptible;  thou  doest  what  thou  wilt,  but  think  not  our  nation 
is  forsaken  of  God,  but  abide  awhile,  and  behold  His  great  power, 
how  He  will  torment  thee  and  thy  seed."  And  the  sixth  being  ready 
to  die,  emulating  his  brothers'  constancy,  addressed  the  tyrant:  "  Be 
not  deceived  without  cause ;  we  suffer  these  things  for  ourselves,  having 
sinned  against  God,  therefore  marvelous  things  are  done  unto  us; 
but  think  not  thou,  who  takest  in  hand  to  strive  against  God,  that 
thou  shalt  escape  unpunished." 

Nor  was  it  one  alone  who  thus  endured.  The  Hebrew  mother 
witnessed  these  agonizing  tortures,  done  not  unto  one  but  unto  six 
of  her  cherished  offspx'ing.  Yet  how  do  our  elders  sj^eak  of  her  ? 
"  The  mother  was  marvelous  above  all,  and  woi-thy  of  honorable 
memory ;  for  when  she  saw  her  seven  sons  slain  within  the  sjiace  of 
one  day,  she  bore  it  with  a  good  courage,  because  of  the  hope  that 
she  had  in  the  Lord.  Yes,  she  exhorted  every  one  of  them  in  her  own 
language,  filled  with  courageous  sj)irit,  and  stirring  up  her  womanish 
thoughts  with  a  manly  stomach,  she  said  unto  them,  '  I  cannot  tell 
how  ye  came  into  my  womb,  for  I  neither  gave  you  breath  nor  life  ;. 
neither  was  it  I  who  foi'med  "the  members  of  every  one  of  you ;  but, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  127 

doubtless,  the  Creator  of  fhe  world,  who  formed  the  generation  of 
man,  and  found  out  the  beginning  of  aD  things,  will  also  of  His  own 
mercy  give  you  breath  and  life  again,  as  ye  now  regard  not  your  own 
selves  for  His  law's  sake.' " 

Quaint  and  terse  as  this  language  is,  and  devoid  of  all  ornament, 
yet  how  emphatically  it  breathes  of  the  extent  of  this  mother's  trial, 
the  struggle  with  her  "  womanish  feelings,"  and  her  triumph  over 
nature,  over  humanity,  through  that  superhuman  faith  !  Nor  is  the 
trial  over.  One  still  remained — her  youngest  born,  probably  still 
the  tender  and  best  beloved  of  his  mother — one  round  whom  the 
bleeding  tendrils  of  her  lacerated  heart  must  have  clung  in  such 
unutterable  love;  her  last,  her  loveliest,  and,  evidently,  from  the 
tyrant's  own  words,  one  in  the  first  and  fi-eshest  prime  of  youth, 
when  life  has  so  many  rich  enjoyments,  it  seems  doubly'  hard  to 
turn  from  them  to  the  cold,  dark  grave,  and  Heaven's  perfected 
happiness  to  such  ardent  spirits  feels  dim  and  distant,  compared  to 
the  present  joy  of  earth.  We  know  he  was  of  such  an  age,  and  such 
aspirings,  else  the  temptations  of  the  tyrant  would  not  have  been 
couched  in  promises  to  make  him  a  rich  and  haj^py  man,  and  take 
him  for  his  fi-iend,  and  trust  him  with  affairs,  only  on  condition 
of  his  deserting  the  law  of  his  fathers ;  and  when  the  young  man 
wovild  not  hearken  to  him,  the  king  called  upon  the  mother,  and  ex- 
horted her  with  many  words  to  counsel  him  to  save  his  life.  He 
believed  natui'e,  in  such  a  case,  must  triumph,  for  he  knew  not  the 
hope  beyond  the  grave,  which  could  still  the  throbbings  of  maternal 
love,  and  bid,  even  on  earth,  the  angel  triumph  over  the  human, 
the  immortal  shine  abov.e  the  mortal ! 

Calmly  she  listened  to  the  tyrant's  "many  words,"  and  then  bow- 
ing to  him  as  about  to  obey,  addressed  her  son  in  her  own  language : 
•'  Oh,  my  son,  have  pity  on  me  who  love  thee,  and  gave  thee  suck 
three  years,  and  nourished  thee,  and  brought  thee  up  unto  this  age, 
and  endured  the  troubles  of  education.  I  beseech  thee,  my  son,  look 
ujDon  the  heaven  and  the  earth,  and  all  that  is  therein,  and  consider 
that  God  made  them  of  things  that  were  not,  and  so  was  mankind 
also.  Fear  not  this  tormentoi',  but,  being  worthy  of  thy  brethren, 
take  thy  death,  that  I  may  receive  thee  again  in  mercy  with  thy 
brethren."  And  even  while  she  was  yet  speaking,  the  young  man 
said:  "Whom  wait  ye  for?  I  will  not  obey  the  king's  command- 
ment, but  I  will  obey  the  commandment  of  the  law  that  was  given 
unto  our  fathers  by  Moses.  And  thou,  that  hast  been  the  author  of  all 
the  mischief  against  the  Hebrews,  shaltnot  escape  the  hands  of  God; 
for  we  suffer  because  of  our  sins,  and  though  the  living  God  be 
angry  with  us  a  little  while  for  our  chastening  and  correction,  yet  He 
shall  return,  and  be  again  with  His  servants.  But  thou,  O  most 
godless  man,  and  of  all  others  most  wicked,  be  not  lifted  up  without 
cause,   nor  puffed  up  with  uncertain  hopes,  lifting  up   thy  hand 


128  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

against  the  servants  of  God;  for  thou  hast  not  yet  escaped  the  judg- 
ment of  Ahnighty  God,  who  seeth  all  things.  For  our  brethren  who 
now  have  sufiered  a  short  pain,  are  dead  under  God's  covenant  of 
everlasting  life;  but  thou,  through  the  judgment  of  God,  shalt  re- 
ceive just  punishment  for  thy  pride.  But  I,  like  my  brethren,  offer 
up  my  body  and  life  for  the  laws  of  our  fathers,  beseeching  God 
that  He  will  sj)eedily  be  merciful  unto  our  nation,  and  that  thou, 
by  torments  and  plagues,  mayest  confess  that  He  alone  is  God,  and 
that  in  me  and  in  my  brethren  the  wa-ath  of  the  Almighty,  which  is 
justly  brought  upon  all  our  nation,  may  cease."  Then  the  king, 
being  in  a  rage,  handled  him  worse  than  all  the  rest,  and  took  it 
grievously  that  he  was  mocked,  so  this  man  died  undefiled,  and  put 
his  whole  trust  in  the  Lord.  Last  of  all,  after  the  sons,  the  mother 
died.  "  Let  this  be  enough,"  the  writer  concludes,  "now  to  have 
spoken  concerning  the  idolatrous  feasts,  and  the  extreme  tortures." 

Enough?  It  is  enough  indeed  for  every  Israelite  to  dwell  upon, 
not  with  shuddering  horror,  not  with  that  squeamish  kind  of  affected 
feeling  which  pretends  incai:)acity  to  look  fearful  truths  in  the  face, 
but  with  emotions  of  intense  thankfulness,  that  such  a  record  has 
been  left  us,  bearing  such  faithful  witness  as  it  does  to  the  true 
Israelite's  belief.  It  is  not  merely  a  record  of  superhuman  heroism, 
alike  in  male  and  female.  It  is  not  merely  a  proof  of  the  little 
moment  in  which  torture  and  death  were  held  by  the  Hebrews,  com- 
pared with  which  the  far-famed  firmness  of  Si^artan  and  Roman 
mothers  sinks  into  nothing.  It  is  the  doctrines  betrayed  through- 
out, which,  revealed  at  such  a  moment,  must  have  impregnated  the 
very  existence  of  the  Israelite ;  and  these  doctrines  may  be  treasured 
up  as  invaluable  evidences  of  aU  which  was  taught  by  our  holy  law, 
however  some  may  disbelieve  the  actual  tale,  of  mai-tyrdom  in 
which  they  are  disclosed.  The  books  of  the  Maccabees  in  the  Apoc- 
rypha are  on  all  points  the  exact  counterpai-t  of  the  same  history-  in 
Josephus,  and  also  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  in  RoUin. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  books  were  written  by  a  Hebrew 
for  his  countrymen,  and  therefore  the  words  put  into  the  mouths  of 
the  sufferers  must  have  been  the  exact  transcript  of  the  h  ebrew's 
true  belief.  If  the  doctrine  of  immortality — that  hoj^e  beyond  death 
and  the  grave — was,  as  it  is  repoi-ted,  unknown  and  um-evealed  to 
the  Israelites,  what  could  have  inspired,  not  only  the  hope  itself,  but 
the  expression  of  that  hope,  in  the  very  midst  of  torture  and  anguish 
which  human  nature  of  itseK  could  never  have  sustained.  We  have 
quoted  the  words  of  the  sufferers  at  full  length,  only  to  illustrate 
this  doctrine;  to  prove  that  all  of  immortality,  of  resuiTection,  of 
being  with  God  in  heaven,  of  reunion  there  with  our  beloved  ones, 
of  the  transientness  of  the  severest  agonies  below  comjjared  to 
the  permanency  of  bliss  awaiting  us  above — that  all  was  revealed 
to  us,  aU  was  known  to  every  Hebrew,  male  and  female,  childhood 


FOR  TFIE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  129 

and  age,  believed  in,  acted  upon,  ages  before  the  advent  of  that  re- 
ligion which  was  the  first,  her  followers  believe,  to  inculcate  such 
doctrines.  In  a  work  like  the  present,  we  may  not  dilate  on  this 
glorious  subject  as  much  as  inclination  prompts;  but,  oh  !  let  us  not, 
by  j^resent  indifference,  by  stagnant  ignorance,  or  fearful  shrinking 
from  the  idea  of  death,  give  our  opponents  only  too  much  reason  to 
believe  that  to  them  alone  has  been  revealed  the  consolation,  the 
glory,  the  blessedness  of  the  belief  and  hope  in  immortality. 

Great  emergencies  will  often  create  great  characters;  but  in  the 
narrative  which  we  have  been  considering  we  read  something  more 
in  the  character  of  the  Hebrew  mother  than  even  the  heroism  which 
she  displayed.  By  her  close  connection  with  her  sons,  in  being 
brought  before  the  tvrant,  and  condemned  to  share  their  fate,  it  is 
clear  that  though  a  woman  in  Israel,  her  influence  must  have  been 
suj)posed  of  some  consequence.  That  her  sons  owed  their  all  to  her, 
even  to  their  education,  and  that  her  influence  on  them  was  very 
great,  we  read  alike  in  her  own  words,  and  in  the  appeal  of  the  king 
to  her  to  save  by  her  exliortations  her  youngest  born.  There  is  no 
mention  of  a  father;  she  had  probably  been,  from  the  infancy  of  her 
children,  that  especially  beloved  of  the  Eternal,  a  widoAV  in  Israel. 
And  in  the  calm  courage,  the  noble  words  of  each  of  her  sons,  we  learn 
the  education  she  had  given.  They  had  probably  been  amongst  the 
valiant  though  unsuccessful  defenders  of  their  land;  amongst  the 
faithful  few  who,  in  the  very  face  of  the  persecutor,  dared  to  obey 
the  law  of  Moses,  and  refused  every  effoi-t  to  turn  them  from  their 
God.  Would  this  patriotism,  this  devotedness,  have  come  at  the 
moment  needed,  had  it  not  been  taught,  infused  from  earliest  boy- 
hood, by  example  as  well  as  precept.  A  mother  in  Israel  could  be 
herself  no  warrior,  but  she  could  raise  up  warriors;  she  could  be  no 
priest,  but  she  could  create  priests;  she  could  not  face  the  battle's 
front,  or  drive  the  idolatrous  invader  fi'om  God's  holy  land;  she  could 
not  stem  the  torrent  of  persecution  and  of  torture,  but  she  could 
raise  up  those  who  would  seek  the  one,  and,  by  unshrinking  death, 
bear  witness  to  the  fi'uitless  efforts  of  the  other;  and  it  was  these 
things  this  heroic  mother  did.  She  had  trained  up  her  boys  in  that 
faithfulness,  that  constancy,  which  could  only  sjiring  from  virtue. 
She  must  have  taught  them,  aye,  infused  it  with  her  very  milk,  that 
the  pains  and  troubles  of  this  world  are,  in  their  sharpest  agony,  but 
of  a  moment's  duration,  compared  with  the  everlasting  blessedness 
awaiting  them  in  heaven.  She  must  have  taught  them  that  death 
itself  was  but  a  darkened  portal,  opening  into  an  infinity  of  gioiy ; 
that  man  might,  indeed,  have  power  over  this  present  life ;  but  over  the 
future,  what  moi-tal  could  have  dominion  ?  That  all  they  possessed, 
even  to  the  members  of  the  body,  life  itself,  they  had  had  from  God, 
to  whom  they  were  ready  to  resign  them,  knowing  that  from  Him 
they  would  be  received  again;   that  even  in  that  extremity  of  bodily 


ISO  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

torture,  their  lot  was  happier  than  that  of  their  tormentor,  for  their 
heritage  was  everlasting,  bitt  his  was  corruj^tible,  and  vanishing 
with  a  breath.     She  must  have  taught  them  in  the  true  spirit  of  the 
law,  that,  however  persecuted,  however  sinful  in  themselves,  their 
nation  would  never  be  forsaken  by  God,  yet  that  it  was  for  their 
sins  they  suffered;  not  to  gratif}'  the  exulting  tyranny  of  their  per- 
secutor, but  for  themselves,  for  the  sins  of  their  hapless  countrymen. 
Their  sufferings  in  the  flesh  .were  to  make  manifest  to  the  whole 
world  God's  judgment  upon  His  children  for  their  national  sin;  but 
that  still  to  the  virtuous  even  such  a  death  had  no  sting,  for  their  earthly 
sufferings  bore  witness  to  the  justice,  and  their  Heavenly  reward  to 
the  mercy  of  their  God.     She  must  have  infused  within  them  that 
j)ure,  beautiful  sjDirit  of  self-devotion  which  is  woman's  own,  and 
can  only  be  imparted  by  woman  to  the  more  selfish,  more  calculat- 
ing man,  else  we  should  not  find  the  last  and  youngest  martyr  be- 
seeching God,  even  at  that  terrible  moment,  to  turn  His  just  wrath 
from  His  people,  and  that  the  sacrifice  of  himself  and  his  brethren 
for  the  laws  of  their  fathers  might  be  so  accepted  as  to  cause  the 
national  misery  to  cease.     All  this  (and  in  such  doctrines,  how  much 
more  is  comprised  than  we  can  trace  in  a  brief  survey ! )  she  must 
have  taught  her  boys.     We  hear  her  herself  refer  to  the  labors  of 
education  as  an  additional  incentive  to  her  sons'  obedience,  and  we 
must  be  convinced  that  all  their  heroism,  firmness,  self-devotedness 
sprang  from  her,  and  had  become  part  of  their  veiy  being,  years 
before  such  exalted  j)rinciples  were  thus  called  upon  to  be  displayed. 
Will   not  this  narrative  then  strongly  confirm  all  that  we  have 
stated  in  the  second  chapter  of  our  second  period,  as  elevating  the 
jDOsition  and  marking  the  duties  of  Jewish  mothers?     Will  it  not 
prove  that  the  mothers  of  ancient  Israel  were  perfectly  aware  of  all 
the  responsibility  attendant  on  them  in  the  education  of  their  sons, 
and  that  they  really  were  included  in  the  charge  of  Moses,  con- 
tained in  Deut.  vi:  20-25.     The  education  given  by  this  martyr- 
raother  to  her  sons  is  an  exact  illustration  of  the  manner  in  which 
these  ordinances  were  obeyed,  including  also  the  instruction  in  the 
history,  theocracy  and  claims  of  Israel  down  to  the  times  in  which 
they  lived.    And  how  could  this  be,  if  the  Jewish  female  were  lowered 
by  social  treatment  to  the  position  of  a  slave  or  a  heathen,  on  whom 
no  responsibility,  no  religious  duty,  devolved.     Be  the  narrative  it- 
self truth  or  tradition,  it  matters  not;  the  ancient  fathers  would  never 
have  given  a  woman  that  influence  and  elevation  in  tradition  which 
had  not  its  foundation  in  tinith ;  would  never  have  made  her  occupy 
that  jDOsition  in  tradition  which  the  ordinances  of  the  law  forbade. 
This  consideration  is  most  important  to  us;  for  we  are  now  rapidly 
advancing  to  the  period  whence  it  is  said  modern  Judaism,  in  con- 
tradistinction to  ancient  Judaism,  takes  its  rise.      There  will  be 
many  perhaps  to  agree  with  the  theories  formed  on  Scripture  al- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  131 

ready  brought  forward,  but  to  declare  it  is  moderii,  or  what  is  termed 
Rabbinical  Judaism,  which  they  condemn.  We  hope  to  satisfy  such 
inquirers  that  even  in  Rabbinical  Judaism  there  is  no  foundation 
whatever  for  the  degradation  of  woman. 

And  what  were  the  "  wages  "  received  by  the  Martyr-Mother  for 
thus  "  nursing  her  boys  for  God  "  ?  Could  it  be  their  earthly  tor- 
tures, their  agonizing  deaths?  Alas  !  what  female  heart,  in  its  first 
natural  weakness,  will  not  shrink  and  quiver,  and  feel,  if  such  must 
be  her  wages,  how  can  she  nurse  her  child  for  God  !  How  may  she 
instill  such  feelings,  if  torture  and  death  must  be  their  reward! 
Why  are  obedience,  constancy,  allegiance,  virtue,  said  to  be  accept- 
able to  the  Most  High,  when  such  is  their  earthly  end,  and  the  sin- 
ful, the  faithless,  the  apostate,  are  spared  and  enjoy  ?  Let  us  ponder 
on  what  was  the  suj)j)ort,  the  hope,  aye,  even  at  that  moment,  the 
triumph  of  Hannah.  Did  she  feel  as  if  that  trial's  intolerable 
agony  were  indeed  her  "  wages  "  ?  We  know  not  how  a  fi'ail,  weak 
woman  could  thus  have  looked  on,  and  instead  of  unnerving  them 
by  cries  and  sobs,  encouraged  them  to  suffer  still.  God  gave  her 
power  (it  was  not  in  humanity),  and  so  increased  the  strength,  thp 
might,  the  vividness,  of  those  hopes  beyond  the  grave,  which  she 
had  felt  and  realized  so  long,  that  the  blessedness  awaiting  her 
children  with  their  God  seemed  palpably  revealed.  The  veil  of 
flesh,  of  corruption,  was  rent  from  her  mortal  eyes,  and  all  which 
the  Lord  had  prepared  for  those  that  love  them,  unseen  by  hu^nan 
eye  and  unheard  by  human  ear,  was  through  her  pure  faith  dis- 
closed; nothing  else  could  have  so  sustained  her,  or  given  the  immortal 
spirit  such  dominion.  We  are  expressly  told  "  she  stirred  up  her 
womanly  thoughts  with  a  manly  resolve."  Consequent!}-  we  know 
and  feel  that  she  had  all  a  woman's  nature.  "  Take  thy  death,"  she 
bade  her  youngest  born,  "  that  I  may  receive  thee  again  in  mercy 
with  thy  brethren."  Had  an  angel  from  heaven  spoken  in  her  ear 
these  words  she  could  not  have  believed  more  strongly.  "The 
Lord  will  of  His  own  mercy  give  you  life  and  breath  again,"  she 
had  before  said ;  and  if  she  had  fear  when  she  exhorted  her  youngest 
born,  it  was  not  that  he  should  pass  away  from  her  earthly  love,  but 
by  his  acceptance  of  the  tyrant's  proffers  be  lost  to  her  in  heaven. 
Faith,  trust,  hope,  these  then  were  her  sustainers  :  she  had  brought 
up  her  children  not  for  earth,  but  for  heaven,  not  for  time,  but  for 
eternity;  and  she  knew  that  she  should  receive  her  wages,  not  from 
earth,  but  in  His  presence  for  whom  her  boys  were  maiiyi'ed.  And 
can  we  doubt  for  a  single  moment  that  those  "  wages  "  were  received  ? 
Can  we  believe  in  the  God  of  love,  whom  Pentateuch,  Psalms,  and 
prophets  all  reveal,  and  yet  allow  the  faintest  shadow  of  an  unbe- 
lieving thought  to  come  across  our  minds  ?  Can  we  with  a  skeptic  s 
fearful  scorn  refuse  faith  in  another  purer,  lovelier  world,  where 
such  noble  and  faithful  spirits  receive  their  promised  recompense. 


132  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

because  to  the  finite  sight,  hearing,  and  wisdom  of  frail,  poor 
humanity  it  has  not  been  visibly  or  palpably  revealed?  No!  no! 
Stagnant  and  indifferent  as  Israel  may  sometimes  appear,  it  never 
has  thus  fallen,  never  can  reject  that  unutterably  consoling  revela- 
tion of  immortality,  which  became  its  own  glorious  heritage  long, 
long  ages  before  it  was  vouchsafed  to  the  Gentile  world.  By  the 
■words,  "  Last  of  all,  after  the  sons,  the  mother  died,"  and  no  mention 
of  tortures,  we  may  hope  that,  if  the  tyrant  commanded  her  death, 
it  was  comparatively  easy,  or,  which  is  our  own  belief,  that  the 
Eternal,  in  His  infinite  mercy,  Himself  called  her  to  rejoin  her  sons, 
never,  never  more  to  be  sejoarated  fr-om  them.  The  sjoirit  might  be 
supernaturaUy  strengthejied,  to  make  manifest  such  firmness  and 
faitlrfulness  as  would  exalt  the  glory  of  the  Lord;  but  the  physical 
powers  must  have  sunk  beneath  it.  And  if  the  tyrant  did  indeed 
put  the  seal  to  the  work  of  butchery  by  slaying  her,  he  did  but  forestall 
the  death  which  would  inevitably  have  come ;  and  his  cruelty  in  this 
instance  was  mercy. 

It  may  be  said  that,  striking  as  this  narrative  is,  it  cannot  bear  upon 
us  now,  either  as  guidance  or  example,  and  that,  even  if  it  could,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  us  to  imitate  the  heroism  of  which  we  read. 
Earnestly  we  trust  that  such  manifestations  of  faithfulness  are  in- 
deed no  longer  needed. 

Yet  that  mother's  lessons  may  still  be  to  us  as  guidance;  may 
teach  us  how  we  should  instruct  our  children,  so  as  to  provide  them 
against  the  arrows  of  misfortiuie,  which,  ere  life  close,  may  assail 
them,  either  tlu'ough  bodily  affliction  or  mental  woe.  Religion,  real 
spiritual  religion,  will  not  find  resting  in  the  human  heart  unless  in- 
fused, unless  made  the  first  great  object  in  childhood  ;  not  to  affect 
with  gloom,  but  inexpressibly  to  deepen  the  enjoyment  and  hilarity 
of  youth.  Affliction  may  do  the  work  for  us  in  riper  years,  and  bring 
the  soul  to  its  God,  because  earth  has  become  a  void,  its  former 
pleasures  dashed  with  poison  ;  but,  oh !  it  is  a  fearful  thing,  when 
we  wait  for  affliction  to  teach  us  oiir  God;  when  sorrow  must  be 
sent  to  bring  us  to  Him.  If  the  mother  would  but  look  forward; 
would  but  sometimes  think  that  the  sweet  and  smiHng  babe  upon 
her  lap,  the  laughing  girl  and  merry  boy,  now  playing  in  such  shad- 
owless glee  around  her  knee,  may  one  day  be  bowed  down  in  soiTow, 
exposed  to  bodily  pain,  to  bereavement,  to  one  or  more  of  the 
niimberless  sorrows  ever  incidental  to  humanity  ;  nay,  to  privation 
of  health,  of  sight,  of  use  of  limb,  will  she  not,  must  she  not  seek 
to  provide  them  vfith  some  vmfailing  refuge,  some  fadeless  hope  and 
inward  consolation  ?  Why  is  she  so  anxious  to  provide  for  their 
temporal  welfare,  to  secure  j^rovisions  for  their  earthly  wants,  re- 
sources of  education,  enjoyment,  ambition,  wealth  ?  Why  fill  the  in- 
fant mind  with  every  branch  of  learning,  and  train  it  to  think,  and 
calculate,  and  act  ?     Why  be  so  careful  of  all  these  things  did  not 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  133 

the  thoug'lit  of  the  future  p^uide  the  workings  of  the  present — did  not 
love  itself  become  ambition,  and  future  hope  inexpressibly  heighten 
present  enjoyment?  And  these  thoughts,  these  hopes,  are  natural 
and  right ;  but  why  provide  only  for  a  future  of  success  and  of  joy  ? 
These  things  may  be.  It  may  please  our  Father  in  heaven  to  fulfill 
the  mother's  every  wish,  and  make  her  child's  future  as  smiling  as 
its  present ;  but  it  may  equally  please  Him  to  try  that  cherished 
darling  in  the  ordeal  of  adversity  ;  and  then,  if  he  has  only  been 
provided  for  a  future  of  prosperity,  oh!  what  shall  sustain  him  ?  How 
may  he  bear  up  against  the  trials  which  may  be  his,  as  well  as  of 
thousands  of  his  fellows  ?  No !  mothers  of  Israel,  let  us  ever  train 
our  children  for  a  future,  and  strengthen  them  for  sorrow  as  well  as 
for  joy.  Should  we  think  our  duty  done  did  we  provide  them  only 
with  summer  clothing,  and  exjDose  them  unprotected  to  the  wintry 
blast  and  howling  storm  ?  Might  they  not  with  justice  reproach  us  in 
the  first  tempest,  if  we  bade  them  thus  set  forth  on  the  journey  of  life  ? 
However  smiling  as  far  as  the  eye  can  j^ierce,  is  not  the  horizon  en- 
veloped in  such  mists  that  we  know  not  whether  it  conceal  sunshine 
or  storm, and  shall  we  send  forth  our  beloved  provided  only  for  the 
one? 

Let  it  not  be  thought  that  to  inculcate  piety — that  clinging  love 
of  and  confidence  in  God,  the  only  support  of  mental  or  bodily  afflic- 
tion— demands  a  relinquishment  of  the  bouyant,  light-heartedness 
of  childhood.  Far  from  it.  The  peculiar  susceptibility  of  childhood 
to  emotions  of  gladness  and  love  renders  the  task  easy  and  most 
blessed  (if  the  right  moment  be  seized)  to  lift  up  the  young  spirit 
to  the  kind  and  loving  I'ather  who  has  given  so  many  things  to  love 
and  to  enjoy.  And  when  the  young  mind  has  ex2:)anded  to  a  conscious- 
ness of  the  temporal  enjoyments  it  has  received  from  God,  let  it  rise 
still  higher,  in  the  tale  of  that  w^orld  where  there  is  no  sin,  no  pain, 
no  change,  but  where  joy  and  love  live  forever;  where  their  souls 
will  be  with  God  and  His  angels,  if  thej  seek  to  live  there,  and  in 
all  they  do,  and  think,  and  feel,  pray  and  seek  to  love  and  serve  the 
heavenly  Father,  who  is  so  good  to  them  in  this  world,  and  has  pro- 
vided such  a  home  for  them  with  Him.  Teach  them  that  sorrow 
and  pain  are  not  proofs  of  their  Father's  wrath,  but  of  His  love ;  that 
aU  He  does  is  love,  however  Ave  may  not  understand  it ;  that  much, 
very  much,  must  puzzle  us  while  we  are  on  earth,  but  that  we  shall 
understand  it  all  in  heaven;  and,  tiU  then,  if  we  will  but  beUeve  He 
loves  us,  and  all  He  does  is  love,  we  may  be  sorrowful  and  sad  for  a 
time,  but  we  know  He  will  once  more  give  us  jo}'. 

Lessons  like  these,  united  Avith  a  firm  observance  of  the  ordinances 
and  commands  of  Judaism,  will,  indeed,  be  blessed  to  our  children, 
even  though  we  see  not  their  fruit  till  long,  long  years  after  the  first 
seeds  were  planted.  Let  us  not  suppose,  because  we  can  discern 
nothing  in  the  heedlessness,  the  levity,  the  occasional  fardts,  even  the 


134 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


apparent  indifference  to  spiritual  things,  in  our  offspring,  tliat  we 
have  worked  in  vain.  Let  sorrow,  let  sickness  come,  and  our  chil- 
dren will  bless  the  parental  love  which,  under  God,  has  provided 
them  with  such  hopes,  such  thoughts,  that  jDain  itself  is  compara- 
tively easy  to  be  borne,  and  sorrow  is  assuaged.  Better,  far  better, 
provide  for  adversity  a  hundred  times,  and  the  provision  be  not 
needed,  than  one  case  in  which  the  sufferer  shall  need  religious 
comfort,  and  in  vain  and  in  bitterness  of  anguish  exclaim,  "  Why 
was  I  not  taught  to  know  and  love  God  ?  Why  not  guided  in  my 
childhood  to  that  holy  consolation  of  which  I  hear  others  speak,  but 
which  I  cannot  feel  ?"  How,  in  the  midst  of  suffering  can  we  teach 
that  God  is  love  ?  How  can  the  bruised  and  broken  spirit  lift  up  its 
thoughts  to  heaven,  when  it  has  until  that  moment  been  chained 
to  earth  ?  If  the  soul,  in  health  and  joy,  has  not  been  taught  that  it 
has  wings  wherewith,  even  in  its  earthly  shell,  to  fly  to  heaven,  how 
may  we  hope  to  use  them  when  they  lie  crushed  and  broken  beneath 
the  heavy  hand  of  woe  ?  It  is  vain  to  hope  it !  Then,  oh  !  would 
we  do  ovu'  duty  to  our  children;  would  we  indeed  provide  for  their 
future;  would  we  have  them  recall  us,  with  the  tenderest  love  and 
deepest  gratitude,  long,  long  after  we  may  have  passed  from  earth  ; 
let  us  imitate  the  Martyr-Mother,  and,  clothing  them  for  aflfliction 
as  well  as  joy,  nurse  them  from  their  infancy  for  God  ;  and  we  shall 
indeed  receive  them  once  again  in  mercy  fi*om  His  hand,  and  in 
His  presence  for  everlasting.  Grace  Aguilar. 


Grace  Aguilak  was  an  English  lady  of  the  Jewish  persuasion,  noted  for  her  talents, 
her  great  literary  attainments,  and  her  unflinching  attachment  to  Judaism.  She  was  the 
authoress  of  many  valuable  works  for  religious  and  educational  purposes. 

Heritage — Inheritance  (in  religion,  the  I  Supeknatubal — Being  above  the  power  of 
people  of  God).  |  nature. 

Vouchsafed — To  grant.  I      Manifestation — Discovery. 

Physical — Relating  to  nature.  | 


THE  RABBI  AND  THE  ROSE. 

The  Rabbi  Mayer  was  old,  |  The  years  swift  hurried  on, 

The  Rabbi  Mayer  was  grey.  And  Death  impatient  grew; 

The  snows  of  four-score  years  had  shed  |  He   donned  the  monarch's   crown   and 

Their  silvery  spray  upon  his  head.  crest, 

And  faced  the  Rabbi  at  his  rest. 


His  form  was  bent  with  age, 
His  cheeks  were  wan  and  pale. 
But  in  his  eyes  there  glowed  a  fire 
To  which  few  mortals  could  aspire. 

In  contemplation  rapt, 
The  live-long  day  he  prayed; 
And  in  the  pauses  of  his  prayer 
The  song  of  learning  tilled  the  air. 


But  weary  Rabbi  Mayer, 
Unruffled,  read  and  prayed; 
Not  all  the  monarch's  pomp  or  look 
Could  wean  the  Rabbi  from  his  book. 

Next  Death  assumed  the  form 
}  Of  woman  in  her  pride; 

In  soft,  alluring  robes  she  came 
I  To  tempt  the  Rabbi  to  his  shame. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  135 

The  Rabbi  softly  sighed  I  The  windows  of  his  casement  low, 

As  him  the  tempter  neared;  And  stood  admiring  in  the  glow. 

Then  Death  heard  his  words  of  prayer, 
And,  baffled,  vanished  into  air,  »  .  *  *  * 

Beneath  the  casement  low  !  Upon  his  forehead  pale 


There  bloomed  a  fragrant  rose, 
And  the  Rabbi  loved  that  flower. 
For  it  consoled  bis  study-hour. 

It  chanced ,  one  sunny  day, 
The  Rabbi  opened  wide 


The  winds  disport  at  ease; 
For  in  the  fragrance  of  the  flower 
Fate  had  softly  used  its  power, 
And,  bathed  in  the  rose's  breath. 
The  Rabbi  gently  met  his  death. 

Adapted. 


To  Don— To  put  on.  |      Unruffled — Calm. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  SECTS. 

During  the  last  centuries  of  the  existence  of  the  second  Temple, 
various  sects  existed  among  our  ancestors,  with  which  we  ought  to 
become  acquainted,  in  order  to  understand  in  some  measure  the 
history  of  those  times. 

The  Pharisees  can  only  imjoroperly,  and  in  antithesis  to  the  Sad- 
dvicees  and  Essenes,  be  called  a  sect,  inasmuch  as  the  principal  part 
of  the  nation  were  of  this  class.  The  leading  principle  of  their 
thoughts  and  actions  was  that  the  jjreservation  of  Judaism,  that  is 
to  say,  the  law  and  morals  of  their  fathers,  must  be  the  only  guidance 
for  the  state  as  well  as  for  the  individual ;  this  being  the  sole  puv- 
pose  for  which  precious  blood  was  spilled  upon  the  battlefield,  and 
under  the  axe  of  the  executioner.  In  deviating  in  the  least  degree 
from  this  principle  was,  to  the  Pharisees,  a  violation  of  sacredness. 
When  their  Sadducean  opponents  maintained  that,  in  regard  to 
political  circumstances,  a  different  rule  must  be  adopted,  then  Phari- 
saism answered:  The  destiny  of  the  state,  the  same  as  of  the  indi- 
vidual, does  not  depend  on  human  activity,  but  entii*ely  on  Divine 
rule,  as  plainly  proved  by  certain  facts  which  they  lived  to  see  lately, 
when  large  armies  were  brought  to  ruin  l:)y  trifling  numbers,  expe- 
rienced warriors  by  timid  weaklings,  and  the  wicked  by  the  pious. 
Not  the  power  of  man,  not  the  strength  of  armies,  are  able  to  deter- 
mine the  weal  and  woe  of  the  Jewish  nation,  but  only  Divine  prov- 
idence. Everything  happens  according  to  the  everlasting  deter- 
mination of  the  Divine  wiU,  and  only  the  acts  of  the  individual,  his 
moral  conduct,  devolve  upon  human  discretion;  the  issue  of  human 
activity  and  the  consequence  lies  by  no  means  within  the  reach  of 
human  calculation.  The  pecuharity  of  Pharisaic  teaching  is  cer- 
tainly a  fundamental  doctrine  of  Judaism. 

Another  doctrine  of  the  Pharisees  was  probably  directed  against 
an  objection  raised  by  the  Sadducees.  If  the  fate  of  the  individual 
or  of  the  nation  is  not  depending  upon  its  conduct,  then  Divine  jus- 


136  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

tice  would  thus  become  arrested;  for  the  just  has  often  enough  to 
struggle  with  misfortunes,  while  the  uDJust  has  generally  the  sun  of 
serene  happiness  smiling  upon  him.  This  objection  the  Pharisee 
removed  through  the  principle  that  the  Divine  justice  is  not  con- 
firmed in  life,  but  only  after  death.  One  day  God  will  rouse  the 
dead  fi'om  their  slumber  in  the  grave,  in  order  to  reward  the  just 
according  to  their  conduct,  and  to  punish  the  wicked  for  their 
deeds.  "  Those  will  rise  to  eternal  life,  and  these  to  everlasting 
shame." 

These  views,  however,  relating  merely  to  an  inner  conviction, 
formed  no  such  decisive  antithesis  as  the  third  doctrine  of  the 
Pharisees  concerning  the  extent  and  the  validity  of  religiousness. 
Many  precepts  of  the  law,  especially  those  referring  to  the  practice 
of  religious  doctrines,  which  in  the  law  are  but  briefly  hinted  at, 
were  introduced  by  common  consent  by  the  leaders  of  the  nation, 
the  prophets,  and  the  men  of  the  Great  Synagogue.  All  lived  with- 
out written  instructions,  through  oral  tradition  among  the  people, 
whose  vital  breath  alwaj'S  was  theii'  religion.  The  supporters  and 
defenders  of  these  oral  traditions,  and  the  interpreters  of  the  law, 
were  also  the  Pharisees.  This  outward  piety,  however,  did  in  no 
wise  shut  out  the  inner  one.  The  Pharisees  were  considered  strictly 
m.oral.  chaste,  abstemious  in  enjoyments,  mild  and  benevolent  toward 
everybody.  Indifferent  to  worldly  jjossessions  and  worldly  honors, 
they  never  hesitated  to  sacrifice,  for  conviction's  sake,  all  their  wealth 
and  even  their  life.  Therefore,  the  whole  nation  clung  to  this  sect 
with  deep  veneration,  readily  submitting  to  their  decisions,  and 
always  willing  to  defend  them  and  make  their  cause  their  own. 

But  the  greatest  influence  the  Pharisees  possessed  in  consequence 
of  their  profound  knowledge  of  the  law  and  its  application  ^  to  life ; 
hence  they  alone  were  considered  acquainted  with  legal  knowledge 
and  theology.  The  degrading  names  of  eye-distorters  and  hypo- 
crites, wherewith,  in  later  times,  their  enemies  designated  them, 
they  by  no  means  deserved;  otherwise,  the  peoj^le  would  never  have 
become  so  attached  to  them,  nor  would  subsequent  rulers  have  in- 
trusted them  with  the  most  influential  offices,  which  placed  the 
entii'e  interior  administration  of  the  state  and  of  the  Temple  in 
their  hands;  it  is  especially  absmxl  to  say  that  a  whole  class  of  men 
is  composed  of  hypocrites. 

In  case  any  individual  belonging  to  them  practiced  outward  i^iety 
for  the  sake  of  self-interest,  the  entire  sect  showed  their  indignation 
toward  the  hypocrite,  styling  him  the  "Plague  of  the  Pharisees,"  who 
commits  evil,  like  Zimri,  and  expects  God's  reward,  like  Pinchas. 
There  were  seven  distinct  sects  of  Pharisees,  but  only  those  were  con- 
sidered legitimate  who  practiced  the  law  out  of  pure  love  to  God. 
Thus  it  is  entirely  wrong  to  charge  the  Pharisees  with  being  hypo- 
crites; they  were,  rather,  the  most  noble  preservers  and  representa- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  137 

tives  of  Judaism  and  strict  morality;  even  their  opponents,  the  Sad- 
ducees,  could  not  avoid  bearing"  testimony  to  this  fact:  "That  they 
pine  away  in  this  life,  but  will  hardly  find  reward  in  a  future  one." 

The  antagonists  of  the  Pharisees  jiursued  a  national  political  ten- 
dency. To  the  Sadducees  belonged  the  Jewish  aristocracy,  the 
brave  warriors,  the  generals,  the  statesmen,  who  in  the  wars  with 
Syria  and  other  nations  had  gained  renown  and  riches,  and  in  their 
contact  with  the  outer  world  had  accustomed  themselves  to  more 
liberal  and  worldly  views  of  life.  Their  name  they  probably  ob- 
tained from  the  founder  or  leader,  named  Zadock.  The  interest  the 
Sadducees  took  in  the  Jewish  commonality  surj)assed  their  concern 
in  the  Jewish  doctrine  and  law.  Glowing  patriotism  was  their  pre- 
dominant feeling,  and  piety  took  the  second  place  in  their  hearts. 
They  seemed  to  have  fostered  the  worldly  view,  that  the  mere  con- 
fidence in  the  strict  practice  of  religious  laws  caimot  sufiice  to  main- 
tain the  independence  of  the  Jewish  state ;  but  believing  that  man 
must  exert  his  temporal  and  spiritual  powers  for  that  purpose,  one 
must  not  be  prevented  by  religious  considerations  to  enter  upon 
political  alliances,  or  to  carry  on  wars  whereby  a  violation  of  re- 
ligious precepts  cannot  be  avoided.  Altogether,  they  were  of  opinion 
that  God  purposely  endowed  man  with  a  free  will,  in  order  that  he 
himself  may  establish  his  welfare,  to  be  the  master  of  his  own  des- 
tiny, inasmuch  as  God  does  not  meddle  with  human  aflaiis.  On  the 
deeds  and  acts  of  man  alone  depend  his  weal  and  woe,  and  it  is  folly 
to  remain  idle,  in  expectation  that  God  will  intervene  to  direct 
the  circumstances  either  of  the  individual  or  of  the  state.  Keward 
and  punishment  for  just  and  unjust  actions  are  the  result  of  these 
very  actions,  and  one  need  not  expect  for  that  purpose  a  resurrec- 
tion after  death,  when  God  shall  judge  the  acts  of  mankind.  With- 
out exactly  denying  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the  Sadducees  re- 
fused the  acceptation  of  an  equalizing  justice  after  death.  (It 
requires  but  a  slight  knowledge  of  Scriptures  in  order  to  j)erceive 
how  much  these  principles  are  opposed  to  the  plain  word  of  God. 
Deut.  xxxii:  39;  I  Sam.  ii:  6;  Ps.  xxxi:  20;  Ps.  xvi:  9,  11;  Ps.  xvii: 
15;  Dan.  xii:  2;  Jes.  xxvi:  19;  Jes.  xliv:  3.) 

In  the  same  manner  the  Sadducees  denied  the  general  validity  of 
religious  statutes;  maintaining  that  only  those  law-appointments 
which  the  Pentateuch  plainly  and  fully  contains  are  binding ;  and 
others,  which  rested  upon  oral  traditions,  or  sprung  up  at  various 
periods,  have  but  a  subordinate  value ,  and  cannot  therefore  claim  an 
inviolable  sacred  support.  1  hey  would  only  allow  the  barren  letter  of 
the  law,  and  the  consequent  carrying  out  of  this  view  led  them  some- 
times to  assert  a  greater  religious  strictness  than  the  Pharisees,  who 
were  decried  for  their  severity.  The  Sadducees,  for  instance,  took  the 
appointed  punishment  of  the  Pentateuch  in  regard  to  bodily  injury, 
"Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,"  in  its  literal  sense;   while  the  Phari- 


138  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

sees,  accordiiif^  to  tradition,  showed  more  lenity  in  snch  cases,  and 
only  determined  upon  an  indemnification  in  money  for  any  bodily 
injury.  Besides,  the  Sadducees  could  not  help  consenting  to  many 
traditions. 

But  in  spite  of  the  relief  which  the  views  of  the  Sadducees  offered, 
their  sect  found  but  httle  favor  among  the  people,  who  disliked 
that  any  one  shovdd  find  fault  and  bargain  with  the  living  convic- 
tions within  them,  and  what  they  saved  with  their  heart's  blood  was 
dear  and  precious.  It  was  sufficient  for  them  to  practice  what  they 
themselves  had  seen  practiced  from  genei-ation  to  generation,  or 
what  was  pointed  out  to  them  as  impoi'tant  by  the  teachers  of  the 
law.  Moreover,  the  J^adducees  were  thrust  off  by  the  j^eople,  owing 
to  their  proud  and  unfi-iendly  manner,  their  rigid  proceedings  in 
law,"  on  account  of  which  they  could  never  gain  in  public  opinion, 
but  had  to  use  force  in  order  to  see  that  their  principles  be  respected; 
therefore  their  ruin  was  hailed  by  the  people  with  joy,  as  a  deliv- 
erance from  a  heaA'y  yoke.  The  views  of  the  Sadducees,  the  same 
as  those  of  their  later  twin  brothers,  the  Karaites,  tending  to  world- 
liness  and  enjoyments  of  life,  never  proved  penetrating. 

The  origin  of  the  remarkable  order  of  the  Essenes,  which  evoked 
even  the  admiration  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  happened  also  dur- 
ing the  great  commotion  which  the  resistance  against  Syrian  tyranny 
brought  about.  The  Essenes,  from  the  commencement,  never 
formed  a  political  pai-ty;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  always  avoided 
the  noise  of  public  life;  they  stood  also  in  no  antagonistic  opj^o- 
sition  to  the  Pharisees,  but  constituted  rather  a  class  of  Phariseeism, 
with  which  originally  they  were  of  one  caste.  Their  ideal  was  to 
obtain  the  highest  sanctity  of  priestly  consecration;  but  they  de- 
sired, by  and  through  the  external  obsei'v'ance  of  the  Levitic  pre- 
cepts, to  attain  an  inner  holiness  and  consecration,  and  to  mortify 
the  passions  of  life.  These  considerations  forced  them  to  associate 
only  with  those  who  were  of  one  mind  with  them,  and  to  unite  them- 
selves, in  order  not  to  experience  any  trouble  in  their  consecrated 
condition;  thus  they  had  to  form  themselves  into  an  order  whose 
first  rule  was  based  upon  a  conscientious  obseiwance  of  the  strictest 
care  to  purity.  Only  those  w'ho  held  the  same  opinions  with  them 
could  prepare  their  food  and  clothing;  tools  and  other  utensils  were 
bought  of  those  whom  they  felt  convinced  manufactvired  them  with 
the  strictest  adherence  to  the  laws  of  purity.  Thus  they  were  as- 
signed for  each  other,  and  thought  it  advisable  to  take  their  meals 
in  common,  in  order  to  dispense  with  every  help  from  those  less 
strict  in  their  obseiwances.  How  could  they  in  their  severity,  even 
in  those  warlike  times,  maintain  themselves  amid  society?  Every 
warrior  who  in  battle  had  become  defiled  by  the  corpses  would 
have  thus  destroyed  all  their  precautions. 

This  embarrassment  mav  have  led  them  to  retire  to  a  lonely  part 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  139 

of  the  country,  in  order  to  remain  unmolested  by  these  commotions, 
which  proved  detrimental  to  their  mode  of  life.  They  selected  for 
their  abode  the  deserts  of  the  west,  the  Dead  Sea,  the  oasis  of  En- 
gedi.  The  date  trees,  so  plentiful  about  these  2:)arts,  could,  by  their 
simple  mode  of  life,  supply  them  in  some  measure  with  food. 
Women  could  not  submit  to  the  rigid  manner  of  their  life,  and,  as 
it  is  natural  that  family  life  causes  trouble,  they  lived  unmarried. 
On  accovmt  of  their  living  together,  they  were  led  to  divest  them- 
selves of  all  property.  Every  one  gave  his  property  to  the  treasury 
of  the  order,  from  which  the  exjDenses  of  all  necessaries  for  members 
were  defrayed.  Thus  there  were  neither  poor  nor  rich  among  them, 
which  placed  them  in  a  position  free  of  care,  and  consequently  their 
mind  was  entirely  bent  to  religiousness,  renouncing  more  and 
more  all  that  is  temporal,  and  following  an  ideal  design.  The 
Essenes  distinguished  themselves  also  b}^  other  j^eculiarities;  they 
always  used  white  linen  clothing.  They  also  wore  a  kind  of  ajoron, 
which  served  them  as  a  drying  towel.  They  bathed  every  morning 
before  prayers  in  fi-esh  sjjring  water,  as  did  the  priests  previous  to 
the  service  of  the  Temple.  No  profane  word  escaped  their  lips 
during  their  meals,  which  they  kept  as  a  kind  of  service  unto  God, 
and  generally  all  was  silent  in  that  intei-^'al.  Only  after  many  prep- 
arations, and  by  degrees,  did  they  admit  fresh  members;  these  nov- 
ices received  the  marks  of  distinction  of  their  order,  as  already  men- 
tioned, with  great  solemnity,  after  being  sworn  to  observe  the  Es- 
senean  mode  of  life,  and  to  preserve  the  secret  doctrines  conscien- 
tiously and  to  hand  them  down  faithfully. 

These  external  appearances,  however,  were  only  a  preparatory 
stej)  for  obtaining  that  inner  piety,  that  close  union  with  God,  by 
which  they  tried  to  reach  even  to  prophetic  inspiration;  unadorned 
simplicity  in  food  and  dress,  sobriety,  modesty,  ever  ready  to  make 
sacrifices  for  others,  were  certainly  virtvies  Avhicli  adorned  the 
Essenes;  yet  they  were  not  peculiar  to  them,  inasmuch  as  they 
shared  them  with  the  Pharisees.  They,  however,  distinguished 
themselves  by  their  aversion  to  the  taking  of  an  oath,  by  frequently 
praying,  and  by  their  mystic  doctrine.  Owing  to  their  peculiar 
mode  of  life  and  fanatic  aim,  the  people  not  only  considered  them 
as  holy,  but  also  as  workers  of  miracles.  They  indeed  engaged  in 
affecting  miraculous  cures,  which,  in  those  times,  were  well  liked, 
and  adjurations  and  the  expulsion  of  spirits  were  executed  by  them. 
Their  means  of  effecting  cures  consisted  in  speaking  quietly  certain 
verses  of  Holy  Writ,  and  partly  in  the  use  of  certain  herbs  and 
stones  of  suj)posed  hidden  powers.  Thus  the  Essenes  had  combined 
in  themselves  the  highest  with  the  lowest;  the  efforts  after  a  pious 
conduct  and  holy  inspiration  with  the  most  common  superstition. 
On  account  of  these  excrescences,  the  Pharisees  j)aid  them  not  so 
great  a  veneration.      They  were  much  displeased  with  the  miracu- 


140 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


lous  cures  and  expulsion  of  spirits,  and  it  seems  that  there  was  a 
sliglit  difference  existing  between  the  two  sects.  It  was  a  fore- 
boding that  they  should  later  become  enemies;  for  Esseneism  con- 
cealed in  its  lap  a  contradiction  against  the  existing  Judaism,  of 
which  its  followers  and  opponents  had  but  an  obscure  presentiment, 
but  which,  in  the  course  of  history,  has  been  substantiated  as  correct. 
Dr.  H.  Graetz. 


Phabisee— One  who  adheres  strictly  to  all 
the  rites  and  ceremonies. 

Sadducee — One  who  denies  the  resurrection 
and  the  belief  in  angels  or  spirits. 

ESSENE.S — \.  sect  professing  extraordinary 
purity  of  life  and  devotion. 

Inviolable — Not  to  be  broken. 


Evoke — To  call  forth. 

Detrimental — Causing  loss. 

Adjubation — The  act  of  proposing  an  oath 
to  another. 

Excbesence- Contrary  to  the  common  order 
of  production. 


PSALM  XV. 


I. 


IV. 


Lord,  God,  who  shall  abide  and  dwell 

Withm  Thy  holy  hill  ? 
Who  in  Thy  tabernacle  shall 

Enjoy  Thy  gracious  will  ? 

IL 

He  who  walketh  in  uprightness, 
And  worketh  righteous  lore; 

Who  full  of  truthful  consciousness, 
Speaketh  for  evermore  ! 

m. 

He  who  backbiteth  not  with  tongue. 

Nor  will  he  evil  sow. 
Nor  say  reproachful  words  among 

His  neighbors  to  and  fro  ! 


He  in  whose  eyes  contemned  stands 

A  person  vile  and  rude; 
Who  honor' th  those  all  o'er  the  lands 

Who  love  and  fear  the  Lord  ! 

V. 
He  who  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt. 

And  will  reverence  God, 
And  firmly  stand,  and  changeth  not, 

To  act  within  His  word  ! 

VI. 

He  who  not  In  usury  lent'th 

His  money  on  a  term, 
Nor  taketh  bribe  'gainst  innocence, 

Will  stand  eternal  firm  ! 

Max  L.  Guttman. 


ALEXANDER  JANNAI  AND  SIMON  BEN  SHETACH. 

Alexander  the  Third,  son  of  Jochanan  Hyrkan,  began  to  rule 
when  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  and  was,  like  the  family  he 
sprang  from,  of  a  warlike  disposition.  Thus  the  twenty-seven  years 
of  his  reign  passed  in  strife  and  war,  and  were  not  calculated  to  en- 
hance the  welfai'e  of  the  nation. 

He  first  turned  his  hostilities  against  the  seaport  towns,  which, 
under  circumstances  now  unknown, were  in  the  hands  of  the  Greeks. 
But  Lathuras,  an  Egyptian  prince,  who  was  also  at  war  with  his 
own  mother,  the  Queen  Cleopatra,  completely  defeated  him. 
Another  time,  this  same  Lathuras  destroyed  Alexander's  whole  army, 
consisting  of  50,001)  men,  and  afterward  marched  through  Judea, 
murdering  and  destroying  everything  before  him,  and  showing  no 
mercy  even  to  women  and  children.     Then  Queen  Cleoi^atra  formed 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  141 

an  alliance  with  Alexander,  and  he  was  thus  enabled  to  continue  the 
war  in  which  he  defeated  Lathuras,  obtaining,  at  last,  j^ossession  of 
the  seaports  as  well  as  of  other  towns. 

This  war  lasted  nine  years,  and  Alexander  being  thus  fully  occupied, 
never  interfered  in  the  internal  affairs  of  the  country.  He  was  not 
on  the  side  of  the  Pharisees,  yet  he  suffered  them  to  exist,  doing 
nothing  to  injure  them,  in  order  not  to  excite  the  people  who  felt 
attached  to  them.  Simon  ben  Shetach,  the  chief  of  the  Pharisees, 
stood  well  even  at  court,  and  was  regarded  by  Alexander  with  great 
favor,  owing  to  being  a  blood  relation  of  Queen  Salome,  and  on 
account  of  his  wisdom  they  were  pleased  with  him.  But  this  inti- 
macy did  not  last  long;  for  as  soon  as  Alexander  returned  as 
conqueror,  he,  in  his  arrogance,  thought  himself  absolute  lord  and 
master,  and  thus  brought  on  a  change  for  the  worse.  The  cause, 
however,  was  never  exactly  known,  but  it  was  thought  to  be  the 
Pharisees,  who,  true  to  their  principles,  were  continually  urging 
upon  him,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses,  rather  the  improvement  of 
the  state  within  than  agrandisement  from  without,  and  were  thus 
opposing  his  war  i:)olicy.  Alexander,  therefore,  unexpectedly  turned 
against  the  Pharisees,  showing  his  animosity  in  the  following  man- 
ner: Once,  when  during  the  feast  of  Tabernacle,  he  was  officiating 
as  High-priest,  he,  according  to  tradition,  had  to  pour  water  from  a 
silver  vessel  upon  the  altar,  as  a  symbol  of  fertility;  but  instead  of 
doing  so,  he  poured  the  water  down  before  his  feet,  in  order  to  show 
his  contempt  for  this  religious  custom  of  the  Phai'isees.  More  was 
not  necessary  to  rouse  the  people  who  were  assembled  in  the  fore- 
court of  the  Temj)le;  they  threw  their  festal-fruit  (Etrog),  which 
most  of  them  held  in  their  hands,  at  the  king,  calling  him  unworthy 
to  be  their  High-priest  on  account  of  being  the  grandchild  of  a  cap- 
tive. He  then  sent  for  his  troops,  who  seemed  to  have  been  ready 
as  if  by  appointrfient,  and  nearly  six  thousand  men  lost  their  lives 
in  this  unfortunate  affray.  Besides,  it  brought  on  an  irreconcilable 
hatred  between  the  king  and  the  Phai'isees,  which  the  Jewish  na- 
tion continually  paid  for  with  their  blood,  and  thus  reducing  them 
to  that  extent  that  they  felt  unable  to  withstand  any  pressure  fi-om 
without.  The  dissension  of  the  realm  under  Rehobean  and  Jero- 
beam  was  repeated  in  the  bitter  party  hatred  of  the  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees. 

Alexander,  however,  did  not  notice  the  harm  which  in  his  arro- 
gance he  had  thus  brought  on  the  state,  but  was  still  occupied  with 
his  high-sounding  plans  of  conquest.  He  conquered  twelve  towns 
to  the  east  of  Jordan,  but  was  soon  after  defeated,  losing  his  whole 
army,  and  feeling  glad  to  reach  Jerusalem  in  safety.  The  people 
were  imbittered  against  him,  and  nothing  but  bloodshed  followed 
the  next  six  years,  during  which  the  whole  country  had  become 
quite  exhausted.     But  being  thus  prevented  from  caiTying  out  his 


143  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

plans  abroad,  Alexander  at  length  held  out  the  hand  of  peace  and 
friendship.  His  opponents,  however,  would  not  listen  to  any  pro- 
posals, except  under  the  condition  that  he  shovild  suffer  death. 
Nay,  they  even  committed  the  great  mistake  of  applying  for  a 
Syrian  army  to  assist  them  in  putting  down  Alexander.  He  was 
defeated,  and  was  obliged  to  fly  with  his  hirelings  into  the  moun- 
tains, where  his  pitiful  condition  after  all  roused  the  people  to  mercy 
once  more.  Six  thousand  men  left  the  Syrian  camp  and  went  over  to 
Alexander,  and  thus  he  succeeded  in  driving  the  Syrians  from  Judea 
and  in  defeating  the  rest  of  his  opponents.  At  this  juncture  the 
Sadducees  persuaded  him  to  revenge  himself  on  his  enemies,  and  he 
had  800  of  the  Pharisees  executed — a  cruelty  which  brought  him  the 
surname  of  "  Men-slayer."  About  60,000  men  were  sacrificed  during 
these  six  years;  the  Pharisees  suffered  most,  and  they  considered 
themselves  no  longer  safe  in  the  country,  and  fled  the  night  after 
the  execution  of  their  800  brethren.  About  8,000  left  the  country, 
j)artly  for  Syria,  where  many  were  killed  by  the  heathen,  and  partly 
for  Egypt,  where  their  co-religionists  gave  them  a  hearty  recej)tion. 
Among  the  latter  was  also  Jehuda  ben  Tabbai,  who,  in  later  years, 
became  a  noted  personage.  Simon  ben  Shetach  also  got  into  great 
difficulties  on  account  of  this  persecution,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
become  a  peddler  in  order  to  find  a  livelihood.  His  disciples,  tradi- 
tion states,  j)resented  him  with  a  camel  to  ease  his  labors  in  j^ed- 
dling  his  goods  about  the  country,  and  finding  accidentally  after  the 
purchase  that  around  the  camels  neck  there  was  a  very  valuable 
collar,  they  presented  it  to  their  teacher,  congratulating  him  upon 
the  luck  in  finding  such  a  treasure ;  but  the  Kabbi  replied  that  he 
could  not  accept  of  it,  inasmuch  as  the  collar  not  being  included  in 
the  purchase-money,  it  must  be  returned  to  the  Saracen  of  whom 
the  camel  was  bought. 

In  spite  of  all  troubles  Alexander's  jjropensity^for  war  had  not 
diminished  yet,  and  once  more  he  carried  on  a  three  years'  cam- 
paign, proving  on  the  whole  very  successful,  and,  entering  Jerusalem 
as  a  conqueror,  was  received  with  enthusiasm. 

During  the  last  year  of  his  reign  he  vindertook  an  expedition 
against  the  country  east  of  Jordan,  but  at  the  siege  of  Regaba  he  be- 
came seriously  indisposed,  and  was  thus  obliged  to  give  up  his  design. 
In  his  last  hours  he  felt  great  regret  about  his  deeds  and  es- 
trangements with  the  Pharisees,  and  therefore  he  advised  the  queen, 
who  was  much  concerned  about  the  future  of  her  sons,  that  she 
should  hold  strictly  to  the  Pharisees,  and  do  nothing  without  their 
consent.  He  died  in  his  fiftieth  year,  after  reigning  twenty-seven 
years,  leaving  two  sons,  Hyrkan  and  Aristobul,  ajid  his  wife  Alexan- 
dra as  Regent.  It  was  a  fortunate  circumstance  for  the  Jewish 
nation  that  a  woman,  of  modest  and  pious  character,  ruled  the  state 
at  a  time  when  a  man's  impetuosity  had  just  left  it  in  a  dilapidated 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  143 

condition.     Thus  she  produced  a  change  Hke  a  refreshing  dew  upon 
bhghted,  sun-burned  fields. 

But  in  a  spiritual  point  of  view  also  everything  seemed  to  pros- 
per in  these  few  years,  bearing  abundant  fruit  which  for  centuries 
to  come  proved  a  blessing  to  the  nation.  This  state  of  things  was 
brought  about  by  two  husbandmen,  whose  names  belong  to  the 
most  renowned  in  Israel. 

Simon  ben  Shetacli,  ah'eady  mentioned,  was  regarded  with  the 
highest  favor  by  the  queen,  who  bestowed  on  him  the  first  place  in 
the  Sanhedrim.  But  Simon  was  not  ambitious,  and  he  therefore 
summoned  also  Jehuda  ben  Tabbai,  a  man  of  sujjerior  knowledge 
and  character,  who  was  then  sojourning  in  Alexandria.  The  words 
Simon  addressed  to  the  latter  ran  thus:  "From  me,  Jerusalem, the 
holy  city,  to  thee,  Alexandria,  my  sister:  My  husband  dwells  in  your 
midst,  and  I  am  sitting  desolate."  Jehuda  ben  Tabbai  did  not 
hesitate  to  accept  the  invitation,  and  those  two  men  now  labored 
uninterruptedly  for  the  welfare  and  amelioration  of  the  nation. 
Like  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  they  accomplished  the  regeneration  of 
Judaism,  and  with  them  begins  the  control  of  lawful  Judaism  in 
accordance  with  the  view  of  the  Pharisees.  Thus  they  were  called 
the  restorers  of  the  law,  who  again  placed  the  crown  upon  the  Thora 
in  its  former  splendor. 

Both  of  them  were  noted  for  their  extreme  strictness,  and  it  is 
related  of  Jehuda  ben  Tabbai  that,  in  his  ardor  to  fulfill  the  law, 
he  once  had  a  man  executed  on  account  of  being  charged  with  a 
certain  crime;  and  when  afterward  Simon  ben  Shetach  sifted  the 
matter,  and  found  that  according  to  traditional  law  the  accused  man 
did  not  deserve  death,  and  charged  Jehuda  ben  Tabbai  with  having 
sj^ilt  innocent  blood,  Jehuda  felt  so  deeply  affected  and  grieved, 
that  he  at  once  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Sanhedrim,  and  showed  his 
remorse  by  throwing  himself  daily  upon  the  grave  of  the  executed 
man,  calling  unto  God  for  a  speedy  death,  in  order  to  expiate  the 
judicial  murder  he  was  guilty  of. 

Of  Simon  ben  Shetach  a  case  is  also  related,  of  which  history  has 
probably  no  similar  example  to  show.  On  account  of  his  extreme 
strictness  he  made  many  enemies,  especially  among  those  families 
whose  members  were  executed  under  his  jurisdiction.  The  latter, 
in  order  to  take  revenge,  procured  two  false  witnesses  who  accused 
his  son  of  a  heavy  crime,  owing  to  which  he  was  found  guilty,  and 
Simon  himself,  who  presided  at  the  trial,  passed  sentence  of  death 
upon  him.  On  the  way  to  execution,  the  accused  son  continually 
expressed  his  innocence  under  the  most  heartrending  protestations, 
so  that  even  the  two  false  witnesses  felt  perplexed  and  confessed 
their  guilt.  When  hereupon  the  judges  were  ready  to  set  the 
accused  son  at  liberty,  he  himself  reminded  them  that  their  j^ro- 
ceeding   must   be   considered    illegal,    for,  according   to   law,    the 


144 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


witnesses,  even  in  retracting  their  former  assertions,  can  no  more  be 
relied  on.  "  Wilt  thou,''  said  the  unhappy  son,  turning  to  his  father, 
"that  the  salvation  of  Israel  be  established  whilst  in  your  hands, 
then  make  me  the  threshold  over  which  it  enters."  And  father  and 
son  showed  themselves  worthy  of  the  important  task  to  be  pre- 
servers of  the  law ;  the  one  laid  down  his  life,  the  other  his  parental 
love,  for  the  saving  of  the  law.  Simon  had  the  law  carried  out 
against  his  son,  although  he  and  all  the  judges  were  convinced  of 
his  innocence. 

One  of  the  most  important  services  of  Simon  was  especially  the 
imj^rovement  of  imjDarting  instruction,  for  he  knew  well  that  Juda- 
ism does  not  consist  in  strength  from  without  or  mere  vain  splendor, 
but  in  the  unfolding  and  Si^reading  of  truth,  which,  proceeding  fi-om 
the  house  of  Jacob,  shovild  pass  over  to  all  mankind,  and  help  to  es- 
tablish the  salvation  of  the  world. 

There  were  as  yet  no  schools  in  Judea,  and  the  father  alone  in- 
structed the  youth  according  to  Biblical  jjrinciples.  In  Jerusalem 
a  high  school  existed,  but  was  only  accessible  to  the  wealthy;  and 
therefore  Simon  ben  Shetach,  to  supply  the  want  thus  felt,  estab- 
lished high  schools  in  all  the  large  towns  of  the  country. 

But  after  Salome's  death  the  country  was  plunged  into  war  again, 
and  once  more  the  spirit  of  Judaism  fled  from  the  peaceful  school- 
rooms, where  thousands  of  disciples  sat  at  the  feet  of  one  of  the  most 
renowned  Rabbis.  Thus  fresh  places  had  to  be  found  for  the 
teaching  of  Judaism,  which  alw^ays  became  renewed  by  the  con- 
tinual succession  of  generations.  This  arrangement  has  outlived  all 
other  institutions,  j)roving  the  most  efficient  measure  to  save  Juda- 
ism from  the  shipAvreck  of  time. 

H.  Gkaetz. 

THE  MYSTIC  TIE. 


There  is  a  mystic  tie  that  joins 
The  children  of  the  Hebrew  race 

In  bonds  of  sympathy  and  love, 

Which  time  and  change  cannot  efface. 

When,  'mid    the   world's    abuse    and 
scorn , 

The  sons  of  Israel  bravely  stood. 
That  bond  was  holier,  stronger  still — 

Cemented  by  their  martyrs'  blood. 

And  though  to-day  the  Hebrews  dwell 
In  every  clime  and  every  land, 

Yet,  joined  by  that  immortal  tie, 
A  holy  brotherhood  they  stand. 

Go  to  the  North,  where  Polar  stars 
Look  down  on  fields  of  ice  and  snow; 


Go  where,  in  sunny  tropic  climes, 
The  gentle  breezes  softly  blow; 

Go  to  the  countries  of  the  East — 
Arabia  and  the  Hindoo  land; 

Go  where  the  calm  Pacific  sweeps 
'Gainst  California's  golden  strand;— 

And  there,  in  reverent  tones,  is  heard 
The  sacred  cry,  always  the  same, 

"  0  Israel,  hear  I  our  God  is  one, 
Blest  be  for  aye  His  holy  name  !" 

This  is  the  mystic  tie  that  joins 
The  children  of  the  Hebrew  race; 

This  is  the  grand  and  holy  bond 

Which  time  and  change  cannot  efface. 
Max  Meyebhardt. 


FOR  THE  USE  OE  ISRAELITES.  145 

JUDEA  UNDER  ROMAN  SWAY. 

[03  B.J 
I. 

When,  in  later  times,  inquiry  was  instituted  as  to  the  cause  wliicli 
brought  about  the  decHue  of  the  Jewish  state,  no  other  reason  could 
be  assigned  than  the  bitter  hatred  existing  between  the  two  sons  of 
Alexander,  which  being  continually  on  the  increase  proved  fatal  at 
last.  The  death  of  Queen  Salome  was  the  first  signal  for  this  stiife, 
dividing  the  nation  into  two  camps,  and  making  an  end  to  the 
happy  days  of  the  second  Temple. 

The  dying  mother,  according  to  the  law  of  primogeniture,  gave  to 
the  eldest  son,  Hyrkan,  the  crown;  but  although  endowed  with  many 
virtues  in  his  private  capacity,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  in  times 
of  peace  he  would  have  made  a  very  fair  ruler,  yet  he  was  in  no  wise 
lit  for  those  agitated  times,  and  his  good  nature  did  more  hann  than 
another's  tja-anny  could  have  accomplished.  His  younger  brother, 
Aristobul,  was  the  very  reverse;  the  cowardice  of  Hyrkan  stood  in 
strong  contrast  to  Aristobul's  impetuous  coui'age.  The  chief  aim  of 
the  latter  was  to  become  the  mighty  ruler  of  Judea  and  to  subjugate 
all  the  neighboring  countries;  but  instead  of  laurels,  he  heaped  dis- 
grace upon  himself  and  the  nation.  Scarcely  had  Queen  Salome 
closed  her  eyes  and  Hyrkan  ascended  the  throne,  when  Aristobul, 
with  mercenaries  and  his  Sadduceean  adherents,  marched  against 
the  capital  in  order  to  dethrone  his  brother.  On  Hyrkan's  side  were 
the  Pharisees  and  the  troops  which  the  deceased  queen  had  main- 
tained. At  Jericho  the  two  hostile  brothers,  with  their  armies,  met, 
when  Hyrkan  was  defeated  and  fled  to  Jerusalem,  whilst  the  princi- 
pal part  of  his  followers,  to  avoid  a  civil  war,  joined  Aristobul.  But 
the  two  brothers  soon  became  reconciled,  and  in  the  Temple  they 
both  agreed,  vipon  oath,  that  Aristobul  should  receive  the  crown, 
and  Hyrkan  wear  the  diadem  of  High-priest,  the  latter  thus  losing 
his  crown  after  a  reign  of  three  months.  To  give  to  this  agreement 
a  kind  of  guaranty,  Aristobul's  son,  Alexander,  married  Alexandi-aj, 
Hyrkan's  daughter,  whose  children  and  grandchildren  were  to  end 
miserably  in  later  times. 

Perhaps  the  peace  now  brought  about  could  have  proved  of  some 
duration,  procuring  also  for  Judea  better  and  happier  days,  had  iiot 
all  at  once  a  man  encroached  upon  this  state  of  things,  who  was  fuE 
with  ambitious  designs  and  personal  interest,  and  who,  together 
with  his  family,  became  the  vamj^ire  of  the  Jewish  nation,  draining 
their  noble  blood  to  the  dregs.  This  man  was  Antipater,  a  descend- 
ant of  a  resjDectable  Idumsean  family,  who,  like  other  Idumfeans, 
were  forced  under  Jochanan  Hyrkan  to  embrace  Judaism.  Never 
was  there  a  perverse  action  more  quickly  and  more  energetically 
punished  than  this  proceeding.     The  fanaticism  of  Hyrkan  I.  was 

PART   11. — 10. 


146  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

now  to  bring  misfortune  on  his  house  and  his  nation.  Hyrkan  II., 
being  in  want  of  a  leader,  had  placed  his  confidence  in  Antipater, 
who  misused  it  in  the  most  shameful  manner.  He  embraced  eveiy 
opportunity  to  remind  Hyrkan  of  his  humiliating  position ;  that  he, 
although  called  to  the  throne,  was  obliged  to  abdicate  in  favor  of  his 
younger  brother.  Besides,  he  continually  tried  to  convince  him  that 
Aristobul  was  plotting  against  his  life,  believing  that  his  throne 
could  never  be  safe  as  long  as  the  true  heir  remained  among  the 
living.  By  these  means  he  succeeded  in  persuading  the  timid 
Hyi'kan  to  break  his  oath,  and  to  adopt  the  malicious  plan  of  calling 
a  strange  nation  to  his  assistance.  Antipater  was  cunning  enough 
to  have  everything  arranged  beforehand.  In  the  dai'kness  of  night 
Hyrkan  and  Antipater  fled  the  city  and  sought  refuge  with  Aretas, 
King  of  Arabia,  who  received  them  kindly  and  consented  to  assist 
Hyrkan  in  his  operations;  having  previously  received  from  Anti- 
pater many  valuable  presents  in  order  to  gain  his  adherence  to  the 
plot;  besides,  Ai'etas  was  glad  of  the  chance  which  gave  him  an  op- 
portunity to  get  possession  of  twelve  towns  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  which  formerly  the  Hasmonseans  had  taken  from  him. 
Aretas,  with  an  army  of  50,000  men,  and  H;yTkan  with  his  followers, 
who  had  joined  them,  offered  battle  to  Aristobul,  who  was  defeated 
and  had  to  fly  to  Jerusalem. 

Thus,  owing  to  Antipater's  artful  ambition  and  HjTkan's  bound- 
less imprudence,  Jerusalem  had  to  contend  with  another  siege, 
which  its  strong  walls  prolonged  for  a  time,  otherwise  Aristobul's 
handful  of  followers  must  soon  have  succumbed.  Antipater  was  the 
chief  of  the  besieging  army,  and  many  atrocities  were  committed. 
In  the  city  the  want  of  sacrificial  animals  was  soon  felt,  and  Aristo- 
bul aj^pealed  to  the  pious  feeling  of  the  Jewish  besiegers  in  order  to 
buy  of  them  the  necessary  animals.  Every  day  baskets  filled  with 
money  were  lowered  from  the  wall  in  return  for  lambs  which  were 
drawn  up.  To  vex  the  besieged  and  to  force  them  to  capitulate  the 
sooner,  the  cunning  Antipater  (for  no  doubt  he  was  the  perpetrator) 
had  the  audacity  one  day  to  have  a  pig  substituted  for  one  of  the 
lambs.  At  that  time  the  pious  Onias,  generally  known  as  "  Honi 
Hameagel,"  was  living,  who,  in  times  of  emergency,  sent  his  prayers 
on  high,  which  were  often  favorably  answered.  This  pious  man 
■was  requested  by  Hyrkan's  soldiers  to  pray  for  the  destruction  of 
Aristobul.  Onias  obstinately  declined  at  first,  but  when  hard 
pressed,  he,  in  the  full  strength  of  his  moral  greatness,  said:  "Lord 
of  the  Universe !  as  these  standing  around  me  here  are  the  people, 
whilst  the  besieged  are  Thy  priests,  then  I  pray  you  may  not  fulfill 
the  imprecations  which  they  pronounce  against  each  other."  The 
coarse  soldiers,  insensible  to  such  elevated  sentiments,  stoned  him 
to  death  like  a  common  criminal.  The  people  felt  em-aged  at  this 
atrocious  act,  and  considered  the  earthquake  and  hurricane  which 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  147 

just  then  raged  all  over  Palestine  as  a  sure  sign  of  God's  wrath. 
But  a  still  greater  misfortune  than  earthquake  and  hurricane  began 
for  Judea  "The  animal  with  iron  teeth  and  brazen  claws  and 
stony  heart,  that  should  consume  much,  and  tramjile  the  remainder 
under  foot,"  invaded  Judea's  territory.  The  hour  had  arrived  when 
the  Roman  eagle  should  in  speedy  flight  throw  itself  upon  Israel's 
plains,  to  encircle  the  Jewish  nation,  already  bleeding  from  her 
many  wounds,  in  order  only  to  inflict  on  her  fresh  hurts  till  she  be- 
came a  cold  corpse. 

n. 

At  that  time  Rome  ruled  over  the  destinies  of  the  nations  com- 
posing the  anterior  part  of  Asia,  and  Scaurus,  a  Romish  official,  sent 
on  a  mission  to  Syria,  came  also  to  Judea,  and  to  him,  as  if  he  were 
a  messenger  of  peace,  the  two  brothers  made  their  appeal.  The 
Romans  never  despised  gold,  and  Aristobul  sent  300  talents  (about 
$400,000),  whilst  Hyrkan  held  out  very  favorable  promises.  But 
the  interest  of  Rome  was  for  Aristobul.  Thus  Scaunis  demanded 
of  Aretas  to  raise  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  at  once,  in  case  he  valued 
Rome's  friendship.  Aretas  then  immediately  withdrew  with  his 
army,  as  well  as  Hyrkan  and  his  followers,  and  Aristobul  reaUy  be- 
lieved for  a  short  time  that  he  was  indeed  victorious  and  sole  king 
of  Judea.  But  Aristobul  was  no  match  for  Antipater's  inventive 
mind,  and  in  picturing  the  unsafe  condition  they  were  placed  in,  he 
played  into  the  hands  of  the  Roman  general  and  conqueror,  Fom- 
pey,  whom  he  pretended  he  had  gained  for  the  cause,  and  thus  Aris- 
tobul felt  satisfied.  Pompey  then  received  from  Aristobul  a  present, 
consisting  of  a  solid  golden  vine,  with  golden  branches,  grapes  and 
leaves,  valued  at  half  a  milUon  doUars,  and  which  Alexander  had 
established  in  the  Temple.  It  was  a  masterpiece  in  every  respect 
and  admired  by  everybody,  so  that  Pompey  had  it  sent  as  a  trophy 
to  Rome,  where  it  became  an  ornament  amongst  the  idols  in  the 
temple  of  Jupiter.  The  Jewish  Temple,  however,  did  not  miss  this 
embellishment  very  long,  for  the  impulse  of  piety  soon  supplied 
another  one,  which  was  also  placed  in  the  same  spot  at  the  entrance 
hall  of  the  building.  This  beautiful  present  did  certainly  satisfy 
Pompey's  vanity,  but  he  was,  nevertheless,  not  on  Aristobul's  side. 
He  called  the  two  brothers  to  Damascus  to  settle  their  affairs,  but 
came  to  no  conclusion,  trying  to  prolong  the  proceedings  till  Judea, 
weakened  by  civil  war,  should  faU  a  prey  to  Rome. 

In  the  meantime,  the  people,  tired  of  shedding  blood,  did  not 
Vvish  either  for  Hyrkan  or  Aristobul,  but  demanded,  in  a  modest 
way,  the  same  as  at  the  time  of  Persian  supremacy,  that  they 
4sliould  live  peaceably  under  the  leadership  of  a  High-priest,  accord- 
ing to  Divine  law.  Therefore  the  Jewish  patriots  closed  the 
gates  of    Jerusalem    against   the   Romans,  and  thus  the   city   had 


148  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

to  endure  another  siege,  wbicli,  however,  Hyrkan's  followers  soon 
abandoned. 

The  patriots,  nevertheless,  retired  to  the  Temple-mount,  destroyed 
the  bridge,  and  there  defended  themselves  with  astonishing  bravery. 
After  a  siege  of  three  months  a  tower,  one  of  the  strongholds,  was  at 
length,  on  a  Sabbath  in  the  month  of  Sivan,  entirely  destroyed.  The 
Eoman  legions  then  jjenetrated  into  the  forecourt,  slaying  every- 
thing before  them,  even  the  joriests  at  the  side  of  their  sacrifices. 
The  priests  never  shrank  for  a  moment,  never  felt  perplexed  in  their 
sacred  occuj^ations,  but  faced  death  courageously  and  quietly.  Pom- 
pey  penetrated  as  far  as  the  interior  of  the  TemjDle,  in  order  to 
satisfy  his  inquisitiveness  as  to  the  iDeculiarity  of  Jewish  worship, 
and  felt  surj^rised  to  find  that  there  was  not  a  single  representation 
of  the  Divinity  to  be  met  with.  Whether  it  was  timidity,  from  the 
imj)ression  made  upon  him  of  the  sublimity  of  the  Temple  without 
a  single  image,  or  from  caution,  not  desiring  to  be  decried  as  tem- 
ple-marauder by  his  enemies;  whatever  it  may  be,  it  is  singular  that 
Pompey  could  subdue  his  greediness  for  money,  for  he  left  un- 
touched the  Temple  treasury,  which  contained  not  less  than  2,U0() 
talents,  amounting  to  as  much  as  two  and  a  half  million  dollars. 
This,  then,  was  the  prelude  to  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  which 
Judea  had  to  witness.  Pompey  ordered  the  leaders,  or  rather  the 
foremost  among  the  Jews,  to  be  executed,  and  the  remainder  he 
sent  to  Rome.  The  Jewish  princes,  Aristobul,  his  son,  Antigonus, 
his  two  daughters  and  his  uncle,  Absolon,  were  obliged,  among 
other  vanquished  kings  and  princes  of  Asia,  to  Avalk  in  procession 
before  Pompey's  triumphal  car  in  Rome. 

Alexander,  Aristobul's  eldest  son,  escaped  whilst  a  prisoner,  and 
arrived  in  Judea,  where  he  raised  an  army;  but  Antipater  soon  ar- 
rayed the  Romans  against  him  and  defeated  him;  and  only  to  the 
entreaties  of  his  mother,  who  thi'ew  herself  on  her  knees  before  the 
Roman  general,  had  he  to  thank  his  escape  fi'om  the  execution- 
er's axe. 

Aristobul,  with  his  son,  Antigonus,  also  succeeded  in  escaping 
from  Rome,  reaching  Judea  once  more.  Here  he  also  raised  an 
army,  but  it  was  of  no  avail,  for  he  was  soon  defeated,  and  was  sent 
a  second  time  to  Rome.  His  son,  Alexander,  who  had  also  ventured 
upon  a  fresh  revolt,  met  a  similar  fate. 

Once  more  was  Aristobul  inspired  with  hope  that  he  might  again 
obtain  the  throne  of  his  ancestors.  When  Julius  Ca?sar,  the 
greatest  man  Rome  can  boast  of,  tried  to  come  to  power,  he^ 
in  order  to  weaken  Pompey,  gave  Aristobul  his  liberty,  and  at 
the  same  time  intrusted  him  with  two  legions  to  operate  for 
him  in  Judea  and  Syria.  '  But  Pompey's  adherents  soon  became 
aware  of  it,  and  got  rid  of  the  Jewish  prince  by  poisoning  him,  and 
his  eldest  son,  Alexander,  was  ordered  by  Pompey  to  be  beheaded^ 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


149 


Thus  the  fraternal  war  ended,  and  what  was  Hyrkan's  benefit  in 
appealing  to  Roman  justice  ?  Pompey  deprived  him  of  royalty,  but 
left  him  the  honor  of  being  High-priest,  with  the  ambiguous  title 
of  national  prince  under  the  guardianship  of  Antipater,  who  was 
made  governor.  But  Antipater,  as  usual,  misused  his  office,  and 
brought  upon  Judea  unspeakable  misery.  He  drained  the  Jewish 
nation  to  the  last  drop  of  blood,  and  with  the  sweat  of  Judea  he 
assisted  the  Romans,  whose  aid  he  so  much  needed,  on  account  of 
the  people's  deadly  hatred,  who  looked  upon  him  as  the  destroyer 
of  tlieir  liberty.  But  the  hour  of  retribution  at  length  arrived,  and 
a  certain  Malich  poisoned  him,  when  he  was  just  on  the  point  of 
dejDriving  Hyrkan  of  his  throne.  The  walls  of  Jerusalem  were  de- 
molished, and  Judea,  considered  vanquished,  was  obhged  to  pay 
ti'ibute  once  more  to  a  strange  power,  after  enjoying  freedom  for 
half  a  century;  the  boundaries  also  were  limited  to  the  extent  occu- 
pied previous  to  the  time  of  the  Hasmona^ans.  While  Rome  felt 
intoxicated  with  victory,  Zion  wrapped  her  head  in  mourning,  for 
the  independence  had  disappeared  from  the  moment  the  Roman 
set  his  foot  upon  holy  ground.  Just  a  century  after  the  Macca- 
bees had  overcome  Syrian  tyranny,  their  descendants  brought  Ro- 
man tyranny  to  rule  over  Judea.  Dr.  II.  Gkaetz. 


Primogeniture — Seniority;  state  of   being  I      Jupitek— The    chief    deity    amongst     the 
first-born.  |  Greeks  and  Romans. 

Mekcenaeies— Hired;  sold  for  money.  I      Vampike— Used   as  imaginary  beings,  who 

Fanaticism — Religious  frenzy.  |  tormented  the  living  by  sucking  their  blood. 


ISRAEL. 

How  great,  0  Israel,  have  thy  sufferings    And   Israel,  once  a  nation  proud  and 
been  j  great. 

Since  doomed  in  every  land  and  clime       From  whom  sprang  sages,  kings,  and 
to  roam,  1  prophets  grand; 

An  exile  and  a  wanderer  on  the  earth,      j  Earth's    mightiest  race,  the   chosen  of 
Without   a   country   and    without   a  the  Lord, 

home  !  Was  mocked  and  scorned  and  jeered 

Throughout  the  world  men  scorned  the  , 
Hebrew's  faith — 


That  holy  creed  of  origin  divine; 
They  stamped  as  crime  his  sacred,  pure 

belief, 
And  mocked  his  worship  at  Jehovah's 

shrine. 

"Cursed   be  the  .Tews!"  this  was   the 
fearful  cry 
That  followed  e'er  the  Hebrew  where 
he  fled; 
Proud  monarchs  were  his  deadly  foes, 
and  popes 
Hurled   their    anathemas    upon    his 
head. 


In  sunny  Spain,  the  Inquisition  dread 
Cast  him  in  dungeons   terrible    and 
dire. 
And  with  a  thousand  tortures  racked 
his  form ; 
Then  led   him  forth  unto  the  death 
of  fire. 

Oh,  shame  !  that  such  a  fearful  blot  as 
this 
Should  stain  the  history  of  the  Span- 
ish land; 
And  deathless  infamy  forever  rest 
On  Torquemada  and  his  hated  band  ! 


150 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Where'er  the  Hebrew  roamed,  on  land 
or  sea, 
Did  persecution  follow  in  his  path; 
And  furious  mobs  deemed  it  a  noble  act 
To  vent  on  him  their  hatred  and  their 
wrath. 

Ten  thousand  martyrs  died  for  Israel's 
cause. 
With  fortitude  sublime,  'mid  smoke 
and  flame. 
And  while  their  cruel  foes  stood  mock- 
ing 'round. 
They  called  on  God  and  blessed  His 
sacred  name  ! 

Through  all  the  horrors  of  that  fearful 
time. 
Through  gloom  and  death,  the  He- 
brew saw  afar, 
With  faith's  unfailing  and  undying  eye, 
Beyond  the  clouds,  hope's  bright  and 
glorious  star. 

He  knew  that  God  would  rise  'gainst 
Israel's  foes 
As,  long  ago,  upon  the  Red  Sea  coast, 
With   miracles  He   saved    His  chosen 
race. 
And  in  the  sea  whelmed  Pharaoh's 
mighty  host. 

And  gloriously   was  that   bright  trust 
fulfilled, 
For  Israel  triumphed  over  every  foe^ 
And  marching  on    with    undiminished 
zeal, 
Emerged  in  triumph  from  the  night 
of  woe  ! 

Yes,  Judah  proudly  stands,  'midst  all 
mankind. 
Once  more  as  beautiful,  subhme  and 
grand 
As  when,  in  blessed  days  of  old,  she 
stood 
A  mighty  nation  in  the  Holy  Land. 

Weep  not,  0  Israel,  for  thy  martyred 
ones; 


Akathema — A  curse  pronounced  by  eccle- 
siastical authority. 

Inquisition— A  court  established  in  Spain 
and  Portugal  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Isa- 
bella for  the  detection  of  heresy,  as  pretended 
by  its  votaries. 


For  though  no  monuments  rise  o'er 
their  tomb. 
Yet  fame  upon  the  sacred  spot  shall 
shed 
Her  fairest  garlands  and  her  bright- 
est bloom. 

Their  names  are    graven    on    honor's 
deathless  page. 
And  on  the  scroll  of  glory  written 
high; 
And  though    earth's  proudest  monu- 
ments decay, 
Their  deeds  sublime  will  never,  never 
die! 

Mourn  not,  0  Israel,  for  thy  glorious 
past; 
The  future    holds    a    destiny   more 
grand; 
For  'tis  thy  mission  great  to  teach  God's 
laws 
To  the  inhabitants  of  every  land, 

And  cause  the  nations  of  the  world  to 
know 
That  unto  Him  alone  shall  prayers 
ascend. 
And   that   before   His    great    majestic 
throne 
All  men  in  reverent  suppliance  sball 
bend. 

Oh!  may  the  time  soon  come  when  o'er 
the  earth 
In  thunder  tones   the  glad  acclaim 
will  ring, 
And  nations,  taking  up  the  shout,  shall 
cry, 
"  The  God  of  Judah  is  our  Lord  and 
King!" 

Thus  Israel's  ancient  glory  will  return. 
And   Israel's  banner   be    again   un- 
furled; 
Thus  will  the  star  of  peace  and  promise 
dawn. 
And  shed  its  radiant  lustre  on  the 
world  !" 

Max  Meyerhardt. 


ToHQUEMADA — Grand  inquisitor  and  confes- 
sor to  the  Queen  of  Spain,  a  man  noted  for 
his  cruelty  and  hatred  to  the  Jews. 

To  Whelm— To  cover  with  something;  to 
bury. 

Acclaim— Acclamation,  shout  of  praise. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  151 

JOCHANAN  HYRKANOS. 

[153-106  B.] 

One  of  the  noblest  of  the  illustrious  race  of  the  Hasmonseans  was 
Jochanan  Hyrkanos.     He  not  only  continued  the  work  of  his  father, 
who  went    forth  as  independent   prince  from   the  heroic  combats 
against  the  Syrians,  but  crowned  it  also  with  the  stamp  of  comple- 
tion.    At    the    commencement    of    his    reign,   Judea    was    again 
threatened  with  a  great  deal  of  danger,  it  having  but  just  obtained 
its  freedom,  and  enjoying  some  rest.     Antiochus  Sidetes,  who  had 
not  forgotten  yet  the  grief  which  its  desertion  from  Syria  caused 
him,  advanced  with  a  large  army,  destroying  everything  in  his  march, 
and  was    approaching  the    capital.     Hyrkanos  must   have  felt   too 
weak  to  give  him  battle,  for  he  shut  himself  up  in  Jerusalem,  de- 
pending on  the  strength  of  its  walls.     Antiochus  therefore  laid  siege 
to  the  city  on  a  very  extensive  scale,  but,  in  spite  of  the  seven  camps, 
the  wide  and  double  trenches,  and  the  hundred  towers  with  which 
he  surrounded  the  town,  the  besieged  made  continual  sallies,  defeat- 
ing, with   great   bravery,  all   preparations   for   storming   the   city. 
Thus  the  siege  was  protracted;  the  besiegers  had  no  water,  and  the 
besieged  were  in  want  of  provisions,  which  made  both  paiiies  feel 
disposed  to  seek  for  peace,  especially  as  the  wet  season  was  at  hand. 
H}a"kanos  made  the  first  step  toward  it,  in  asking  for  a  suspension 
of  hostilities  during  the  eight  days  of  the  feast  of  the  Tabernacles. 
Antiochus  not  only  agreed  to  this,  but  sent  also  animals  with  gilt 
horns,  and  golden  vessels  with  sweet  scent,  for  sacrificial  purposes. 
Hereupon  negotiations  for  peace  commenced,  and  Antiochus  was 
urged  by  his  friends  to  use  the  utmost  severity ;  but  it  was  fortu- 
nate for  the  Jews  that  this  one  was  neither  so  cruel  nor  powerful  as 
his  predecessor,  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  otherwise  the  old  struggles 
would  have  been  renewed.     A  favorable  peace  was  the  result,  and 
the  design  of   Antiochus  that  Jerusalem  should  receive  a  Syrian 
garrison  Hyrkanos  decidedly  rejected. 

Antiochus,  soon  after  this,  lost  his  life  on  the  battle-field,  and 
Hyrkanos,  who,  as  his  ally,  had  to  assist  him  with  auxiliaries,  im- 
mediately made  use  of  the  state  of  weakness  into  which  S^Tia  was 
placed,  owing  to  the  many  disputes  that  arose  as  to  the  right  of  suc- 
cession, not  only  to  become  independent  of  Syria,  but  also  to  adopt 
the  offensive,  in  order  to  wrest  from  it  all  the  towns  and  fortresses 
formerly  belonging  to  the  land  of  Israel. 

But  Judea  was  still  confined  on  three  sides  by  a  foreign  popula- 
tion; in  the  south  by  the  Idumaeans,  whose  territory  extended  far 
into  Judea;  in  the  middle  by  the  odious  Samaritans,  whose 
dominions  prevented  the  J  ews  of  Galilee  from  taking  the  shortest 
road  to  Jerusalem  whenever  they  visited  the  Temple;  and  then, 
also,   the    district  beyond  the  Jordan,   the  shores   of  which  were 


152  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

entirely  ixiliabited  by  Greeks,  who  always  proved  inimical  to  the 
Jews.  Hyrkanos  therefore  considered  it  his  task  to  reduce  these 
territories  to  subjection,  and  either  tobanisli  the  hostile  population 
or  to  unite  them  closely  Avith  the  Jews.  He  turned  first  to  the  land 
east  of  the  Jordan,  conquering,  after  a  siege  of  six  months,  Madaba, 
a  town  which  always  proved  hostile  to  the  Hasmonseans,  being  well 
fortified,  and  defended  bravely.  Afterward  the  army  moved  south 
of  the  Jordan,  where  Saniega  was  taken,  a  town  situated  on  Lake 
Tibeiias,  and  of  great  importance  to  the  Jews.  Then  he  com- 
menced with  the  towns  belonging  to  Samaria,  Sichem  being  the 
capital,  which  was  destroyed,  together  with  the  temple  on  Mount 
Garizim. 

At  one  time  Menasse — grandchild  of  the  High-jjriest  Eliashib, 
whom  Nehemiah  drove  from  the  temple,  because  he  had  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Samaritan  governor,  Sanballat,  and  would  not 
separate  himself  from  her — built  this  temple,  A^hich  was  similar  to 
the  one  in  Jerusalem,  at  the  request  of  his  father-in-law,  and  over 
which  he  officiated  as  priest.  This  aggravated  the  dissension 
akeady  existing  between  the  Jews  and  Samaritans,  and  thus  the 
temple  always  proved  a  great  stumbling  block  to  the  Jews.  It 
stcMDd  neai'ly  three  hundred  years,  and  its  destruction  caused  so  much 
joy  that  the  event  was  celebrated  annually  as  half  holiday.  Ever 
since  the  splendor  of  the  Samaritans  has  disappeared ;  for,  although 
they  preserved  their  i)eculiarities  for  thousands  of  years,  and  even  to 
this  day  they  exist,  and  still  continue  to  sacrifice  upon  a  simple  altar 
on  Mount  Garizim,  their  substance,  nevertheless,  is  wearing  away 
more  and  more,  owing  to  the  want  of  a  proper  centre. 

After  this  victory  over  the  Samaritans,  Hyrkanos  turned  against 
the  Idvimseans.  This  people  who,  for  ages,  always  proved  hostile  to 
the  Jews,  had  beenah-eady  subjected  by  Judas  Maccabee,  but  owing 
to  their  peculiar  tenacity,  they  had  become  strong  again,  possessing 
themselves  of  the  south,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  Jews. 
Hyrkanos  thought  himself  j^owerful  enough  to  make  them  harmless, 
laying  siege  to  their  fortifications  and  razing  them,  and  then  offering 
them  conditions,  either  to  embrace  Judaism  or  to  go  into  exile. 
They  accepted  the  former,  submitting  to  circumcision,  and  from 
now  they  externally  adhered  to  Judaism.  For  the  fu-st  time  Juda-' 
ism  showed,  under  this  Prince  Hyrkanos,  intolerance  toward  other 
worsliipers,  by  imposing  religious  restraint  upon  them ;  but  it  soon 
had  to  leai'n,  under  painful  experience,  how  disadvantageous  it  is  to 
cai'iy  the  zeal  of  self-preservation  so  far  as  to  force  others  to  conver- 
sion. While  Simon,  though  l^ecoming  an  ally  of  the  liomans,  laid 
the  tii-st  germe  for  the  dissolution  of  the  Jewish  realm,  his  son  con- 
tributed largely  to  that  step  by  the  forcible  conversion  of  the 
Idumseans,  and  in  loss  than  half  a  century  it  fostered  the  most 
bitter  fruits.     Romans    and  Idumeeans   were  the  parties    who  de- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRA.ELITES.  153 

throned  the  reigninpf  family  of  the  Hasmonseans,  and  brought  about 
the  decline  of  the  Jewish  realm. 

Hyrkanos  also  sent  ambassadors  to  Rome,  who  took  many  pres- 
ents, among  which  was  also  a  golden  shield  weighing  1  000  ounces, 
which  had  the  desired  effect  upon  avaricious  Rome.  The  senate 
repeated  their  assurance  of  remaining  a  true  ally,  forbidding  the 
Syrians  to  make  further  inroads  into  Jewish  territory,  and  ordering 
them  to  deliver  up  all  the  towns  which  they  conquered  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  reign  of  Hyrkanos,  and  especially  the  town  and 
port  of  Joppa.  The  town  of  Joppa  was  for  Judea  a  source  which 
yielded  money  abundantly,  inasmuch  as  the  suj^erfluity  of  the 
different  productions  of  the  country,  especially  of  wheat  from  the 
fields  of  the  Ephraim  moimtains,  as  well  as  oil  fi'om  Galilee,  and 
balsam  from  Jericho,  were  exported  in  large  quantities  into  foreign 
j)orts,  from  which  the  revenues  were  immense.  The  treasures  thus 
obtained  supplied  Hyrkanos  with  ample  means  to  carry  on  the  war  en- 
ergetically, for  already  in  those  times  gold  was  the  nerve  of  conquest. 

iBeing  thus  protected  by  the  Romans,  and  well  supplied  with 
money,  Hyrkanos  was  enabled  to  follow  up  his  plan  of  enlarging  the 
Judean  territory,  and  after  succeeding  in  a  series  of  wars,  the  power 
of  all  his  opponents  was  crushed,  the  far-extending  plans  of  the 
Hasmonaeans  realized,  and  their  work  crowned  at  last  with  success. 
Judea  felt  safe  in  its  independence,  and  had  risen  to  the  eminence  of 
the  neighboring  states.  The  enemies  who  had  threatened  it  on  all 
sides,  the  Syrians,  Idumseans,  and  Samaritans,  had  been  for  the  most 
part  subdued,  and  the  country  at  large  hail  overcome  tho&e  barriers 
which  prevented  its  development.  The  happy  times  of  the  Israel- 
itish  people  under  Da^dd  and  Solomon  seemed  to  have  returned  once 
more,  and  strange  nations  were  compelled  to  pay  homage  to  Jewish 
rulers.  The  old  hatred  between  the  brotherly  races  of  Judea  and 
Mumsea  was  destroyed,  Jacob  and  Esau  had  become  twin  brothers 
again,  and  the  old  proj)hecy  confirmed;  the  elder  served  the  younger. 
The  shores  on  the  Jordan,  the  sea  coasts,  the  caravans,  which  led 
from  Egypt  to  Syria  and  Asia  Minor,  were  entirely  in  the  power  of 
Judea  Hyi'kanos  Avas  brought  up  according  to  the  princijDles  of  the 
Pharisees,  and  he  lived  and  acted  in  the  spirit  of  that  sect.  He 
faithfrdly  tried  to  establish  again  the  worthiness  of  religion,  which, 
during  the  war,  had  become  neglected  in  many  instances;  he  was 
really  a  pious  high-priest,  as  well  as  an  excellent  guardian  and  pro- 
moter of  Judaism.  Besides,  he  could  not  venture  to  oppose  the  Sad- 
ducees;  they  were  his  co-workers,  his  generals,  and  counsellors. 
But  Hyrkanos  always  understood  well  how  to  solve  this  difficult  task; 
even  when  an  old  man,  he  knew  how  to  keep  the  two  distinct  joarties 
in  tolerable  amity;  but,  uttering  an  inconsiderate  word,  this  zealous 
adherent  of  Phariseeism  was  induced  to  become  its  bitter  opponent. 
In  the  last  years  of  his  life,  he  entirely  inclined  to  the  Sadducees. 


154  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

The  cause  which  brought  about  this  change  was  unimportant.  Hyr- 
kanos  had  returned  home  from  a  great  victory.  Feeling  exceedingly 
happy  at  the  great  result  thus  achieved,  and  the  flourishing  con- 
dition of  the  country,  he  arranged  a  splendid  meal,  to  which  he 
invited,  without  exception,  aU  the  leaders  of  the  Pharisees  and  Saddu- 
cees.  Upon  golden  tables,  meals  were  served  up,  among  which 
were  also  desert-plants,  in  remembrance  of  the  suffering  during  the 
time  of  the  Syrian  subjugation,  when  the  nobles  of  the  people  had 
to  hide  themselves  in  heaths  and  deserts.  Amid  the  good  humor 
prevailing  among  the  guests,  Hyrkanos  all  at  once  asked  whether 
the  Pharisees  could  anyway  reproach  him  of  having  ever  committed 
himself  against  the  law;  and,  if  such  was  the  case,  they  should  confess 
it  frankly,  for  it  was  his  earnest  desire  to  make  the  law  the  basis  of  all 
his  actions.  Whereupon  a  certain  Eleasar  ben  Poira  (according  to 
others,  Jehuda  ben  Giddin)  rose,  and,  without  further  ceremony, 
said:  "  Hyrkanos  should  be  content  with  wearing  a  princely  crown, 
but  the  diadem  of  a  High-priest  he  should  transfer  to  ^  more  worthy 
person,  inasmuch  as  his  mother,  at  a  surprise  which  the  Syrians 
made  upon  Modin,  was  taken  prisoner  before  his  birth,  and  the  son  of 
a  captive  was  disqualified  for  a  priest,  much  more  for  High-priest. 

Although  deeply  affected  on  hearing  this  defamatory  assertion, 
Hyrkanos  possessed  discreetness  enough  to  yield  to  an  investigation 
into  the  matter,  and  the  accusation  soon  proved  void  of  all  truth. 
But  when  the  Sanhedrim,  whose  members  consisted  of  Pharisees 
only,  fell  away  from  their  principle  that  before  the  law  all  are  alike, 
in  condemning  the  offender  of  the  prince  to  pay  merely  a  fine  for 
slander,  instead  of  suffering  death  for  high  treason,  as  Hyrkanos  had 
expected,  then  he  was  persuaded  by  the  Sadducees  that  the  whole 
affair  was  purposely  arranged  by  the  Pharisees  in  order  to  abase 
him ;  and  thus  he  renounced  the  Pharisees  altogether,  becoming  a 
Sadducee  in  word  and  deed.  The  Pharisees  were  displaced  from  all 
high  offices;  the  officials  belonging  to  the  Temple,  the  Sanhedrim, 
and  the  courts  of  law,  were  aU  filled  by  men  holding  Sadduceean 
principles. 

The  historians  of  the  Pharisees,  however,  do  not  detract  anything 
from  Hyrkanos'  high  merits,  and  even  state,  in  spite  of  their  dismis- 
sal, that  this  prince  reached  the  ideal;  the  three  highest  dignities 
of  Judaism,  that  of  prince.  High-priest,  and  a  thorough  acquaintance 
with  the  law,  were  all  united  in  his  person.  But  this  occurif-ence 
had  sad  consequences,  and  Hyrkanos  did  not  survive  long,  but  died 
soon  after  in  his  sixtieth  year,  and  the  thirtieth  of  his  reign.  The 
Sanhedrim,  now  composed  of  Sadducees,  put  upon  the  jDeople, 
Pharisees  generally,  restraint  of  conscience;  the  freedom  and  inde- 
pendence of  the  high-council,  who  had  to  preseiwe  the  law  against 
the  encroachments  of  the  crown,  were  entirely  abolished.  The 
princes  of  the  Hasmonseans,  who  rose  by  freedom  of  election,  had 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  155 

become  despots.  It  was  then  no  wonder  that  hatred  began  to  show 
itself  against  the  house  of  the  Hasmonfeans,  which  consequently 
plunged  the  nation  into  civil  war,  and  reduced  them  to  a  state  of 
weakness.  This  single  act  was  sufficient  to  caixy  the  cheerful  days 
of  the  Hasmonjeans  to  the  grave,  and  thus  the  Jewish  nation  now 
began  a  retrograde  movement;  for  the  second  time  the  Jewish  realm 
sadly  realized  that  in  reaching  the  jjinnacle  of  power,  it  could  not. 
keep  its  ground  by  external  greatness. 
Dr.  H.  Graetz. 

Siege — Any  continued  endeavors  to    gain  I      Defamatoey — Calumnious. 
poseesBion.  |      To  Abase  -  Xo  bring  low. 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  HYRKAN  THE  FORTUNATE. 

The  aged  Hyrkan,  prince  in  Israel  and  High-priest,  who  so 
triumphed  over  many  enemies  that  he  received  the  proud  name  of 
the  Fortunate,  could,  nevertheless,  not  triumph  over  death.  His  en- 
feebled head  rested  upon  the  gold-embroidered  cushion,  his  eye  was 
raised  toward  the  canopy,  and  the  sacred  priest's  cap,  with  its  golden 
escutcheon,  was  placed  on  a  table  beside  him.  Around  his  couch 
stood  his  wife  and  five  robust  sons.  But  in  casting  his  eye  down- 
ward, it  seemed  to  hover  over  them  sorrowfully,  and  his  soul  apj^ar- 
ently  could  not  de^Dart  without  foreseeing  what  the  future  would 
bring  forth.  "You  have  no  desire  for  peace,"  he  at  length 
exclaimed,  with  feeble  voice,  "  which  I  command  you  to  observe  in 
the  name  of  the  father.  Then  you  will  perish,  one  after  the  other, 
so  that  it  will  be  said  of  the  house  of  Hyrkan :  It  was !  But  you, 
Aristobulus  and  Antigonus,  who  are  the  eldest,  you  who  ought  to 
be  the  support  of  the  house,  on  your  heads  the  punishment  will  fall. 
Ere  a  year  has  passed  you  will  have  to  give  an  account  to  me." 
Thus  saying,  he  died,  and  in  his  eyes  reproach  could  still  be  seen. 

The  corpse  of  the  prince  was  soon  interred;  the  tears  of  those  be- 
longing to  him  were  soon  dried;  and  his  wife  demanded  the  regency, 
according  to  the  will  of  the  deceased.  But  suddenly  the  tnimpets 
sounded  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  armed  men  rushed  to  the  j^lace 
before  the  Temple,  and,  separating  the  people,  called  aloud,  "  Aris- 
tobulus is  king  over  Israel."  A  period  of  471  years  and  three 
months  had  passed,  after  Israel's  return  from  captivity  by  the  waters 
of  Babylon,  when  Aristobulus  for  the  first  time  again  as  an  Israel- 
ite wore  upon  his  head  the  royal  crown.  But  poisonous  serpents  of 
vice  he  twisted  into  it,  for  he  threw  his  mother  and  three  of  her 
sons  into  a  dark  dungeon,  while  his  beloved  brother,  Antigonus,  re- 
mained with  him,  and  was  declared  co-regent.  About  midnight, 
lamentations  sounded  through  the  royal  palace;  a  dark  figure, 
adorned  with  the  sacred  priest's  cap  and  the  golden  shield,  dragged 
itself  through  the  difierent  chambers;  but  for  the  princely  widow 
the  gates  of  the  dungeon  would  not  open.     She  had  a  terrible  guest 


156  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY   READER 

in  her  cell,  attacking  her  with  an  iron  grasp,  and  killing  her  by  starv- 
ation. Till  midnight  she  lingered,  and  then  her  soul  departed  with 
insane  imprecations  agaijQst  the  whole  race  of  matricides. 

The  kiug  was  stretched  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  but  Antigonus, 
dressed  in  robes  of  triumph,  which  he  brought  from  his  successful 
campaigns,  and  accompanied  by  heroes  and  nobles,  entered  the 
Temple  of  the  Lord,  in  order  to  thank  the  God  of  Israel  for  his 
victory,  as  well  as  to  offer  prayers  in  behalf  of  the  king.  At  the 
gates  of  the  Temple  stood  an  old  man  with  a  white  garment,  in  his 
hand  an  axe,  his  loins  covered  with  an  apron,  an  Essenean,  Judas 
by  name,  endowed  with  the  gift  of  prophecy,  which  came  over  him 
in  the  seclusion  of  his  life.  "  Who  desires  to  live,"  he  exclaimed  in- 
dignantly, "when  truth  has  died?  The  voice  of  Heaven  speaks 
within  me.  To-day,  Antigonus  dies  in  the  Tower  of  the  Straton; 
but  from  the  coast  of  the  sea  which  touches  uj^on  it,  are  600  stadia  to 
the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  and  the  fourth  hour  of  the  day  has  already 
arrived;  the  voice  of  the  Lord  fails  within  me;  the  house  of  Hyr- 
kan  continues  to  exist." 

Then  intriguing  courtiers  approach  the  sick  bed  of  the  king. 
"Where  does  my  brother  Antigonus  tarry  ?"  inquired  he;  "has  he 
not  yet  reached  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  ?  I  am  longing  to  behold  the 
smile  of  his  lips,  and  the  tears  of  his  eyes." 

"  Antigonus  enters  in  triumph  with  weapons  and  army  into  the 
Temple  of  the  Lord,  in  order  to  be  anointed  as  the  only  king.  Thou 
wilt  no  more  behold  the  smiles  of  his  lips,  or  the  tears  of  his  eyes, 
but  the  thi'eatening  sword  of  his  hand,  which  strives  after  your  heai-t." 

"Antigonus  !  Antigonus!"  the  trembling  king  called  aloud,  wring- 
ing his  hands  in  despair;  "brother,  come  to  my  heart,  but  not  with 
the  sword.  My  heart  feels  desolate,  thou  shalt  fill  it  up;  gi-aves  seem 
to  open  around  me,  thou  shalt  cover  them." 

"  Hail,  hail,  unto  thee,  Antigonus !"  the  people  and  army  ex- 
claim;  but,  as  to  the  bed-ridden  king,  no  one  thinks  of  him. 

The  king  kept  silent  for  some  time,  but,  at  length,  he  called  for  the 
chief  of  his  body-guard,  commanding  him  to  place  himself  with  all 
his  confidants  in  the  secret  passage  which  leads  from  the  Temple  of 
the  Lord  to  the  king's  palace,  called  the  Tower  of  the  Straton. 
There  he  should  await  Antigonus;  if  he  came  unarmed,  then  he  might 
jDass  unmolested;  but  if  armed,  then  the  deadly  weapon  should  be 
plunged  into  his  bosom.  Whereupon  he  sent  his  chamberlain  to 
Antigonus,  to  request  him  to  appear  unarmed  before  the  king. 

At  the  same  time  intriguing  coui-tiers  were  hastening  to  the 
queen,  saying  to  her,  "  The  king  demands  to  see  his  brother  in  the 
splendor  of  arms  he  has  conquered,  and  "how  they  become  his 
beloved  one. '  The  queen  hereupon  sent  her  chamberlain,  even 
quicker  than  the  former,  to  acquaint  Antigonus  with  the  instructions 
she  had  received,     Antigonus  hurried  to  comply  with  his  brother's 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  157 

request,  leaving  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  to  walk  through  the  Tower 
of  the  Straton  to  the  king's  palace,  in  the  Castle  Antouia.  There  the 
hidden  assassins  lie  in  wait,  and  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  thi'ough  the 
apeiiures  of  the  vaults  fell  upon  the  bright  weapons  of  the  royal 
brother,  a  deadly  stroke  brought  him  to  the  grouncl,  upon  which  his 
blood  flowed. 

The  trembling  king  sits  upon  his  bed  listening  to  approaching 
steps,  but  those  of  his  brother,  which  he  watches  for,  do  not  draw 
near.  Suddenly  the  gray-headed  Judas,  in  his  white  garments,  makes 
his  way  through  weapons  and  chamberlains.  "  Antigonus !"  he  calls 
aloud,  making  the  walls  shake,  and  swinging  his  axe;  "Antigonus  has 
fallen  in  the  Tower  of  the  8traton,  although  not  where  the  sea  washes 
the  coast,  but  between  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  and  the  king's  palace. 
The  voice  of  the  Lord  deceives  not.;  the  house  of  Hyrkan  be- 
comes a  ruin.''  The  king  faints  on  hearing  this,  and  a  stream  of 
blood  begins  to  flow  from  his  mouth,  filling  aU  the  vessels  that  are 
brought  to  receive  it,  which  are  carried  from  the  palace  into  the 
Tower  of  the  Straton,  where  the  chamberlain  stumbles,  and  the 
blood  of  the  king  becomes  mixed  with  the  blood  of  his  brother  on 
the  ground  into  which  it  flowed.  Then  the  hearts  of  the  chamber- 
lains began  to  tremble,  and  their  lanieutatious  reached  the  king's 
chamber.  In  vain  did  the  king  continuaUy  inquire  after  the  cause 
of  these  lamentations,  and  only  by  threats  he  succeeded  in  obtaining 
information.  "Well,"  said  the  king,  in  a  feeble  voice,  "thy  blood 
has  become  mixed  with  mine;  thy  death  demands  also  mine;  graves 
open  around  me,  we  both  will  fill  them." 

It  was  the  very  day  on  which  Hyrkan  died  that  the  royal  mau- 
soleum at  Getlisemane  received  the  corpses  of  the  two  kings.  One 
year  only  had  they  reigned  over  Israel.  On  the  same  day  when  the 
graves  closed  upon  Aristobulus  and  Antigonus,  the  gates  of  the 
prison  also  opened  for  the  three  confined  brothers.  Alexander  came 
to  the  throne,  but  true  to  the  curse  of  fratricide,  he  killed  the  one, 
while  the  other  had  to  take  an  oath  before  the  altar  of  the  Lord  that 
he  would  continue  to  live  a  j)rivate  life.  Alexander  ruled  twenty- 
seven  years,  cruel  and  revengeful,  till  he  died  in  consequence  of  his 
debauchery. 

The  house  of  Hyrkan  continued  in  its  evil  ways.  Alexander's 
sons,  Aristobulus  and  Hyrkan,  fought  with  each  other  all  their 
lifetime.  The  former  died  of  poison  by  the  hand  of  a  Koman,  and 
his  son  was  executed  for  high  treason.  Hyrkan  had  ruled  twenty- 
three  years,  lived  three  years  in  captivity,  when  he  was  condemned 
by  Herod  to  die  the  death  of  a  common  criminal.  The  house  of 
Hyrkan  was  no  more  !  Dr.  L.  Philippson. 


Escutcheon — The  picture  of    the    ensigns  I      Fratricide — The  murder  of  a  brother, 
armorial;  the  Bhield  of  the  family.  Debauchery — The  practice  of  excess. 

Matricide— A  mother-killer. 


158 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


FAITH  AND  TRUST. 


Have  faith  and  trust,  ye  wavering, 

God's  ways  we  may  not  see, 
What  may  seem  chaos  in  our  view, 

To  Him  is  harmony; 
And  when  deep  anguish  fills  our  hearts. 

And  tears  well  from  our  eyes, 
The  ill  that  causes  thera  may  be 

A  blessing  in  disguise. 


The  noisome 


poisonous 
grows 
Without  a  single  charm, 
May  hold  in  its  obnoxious  stem 
A  medicinal  balm; 


weed    which 


And  tempests  that  o'erwhelm  us 

And  fill  us  with  dismay, 
May  render  pure  the  fetid  air 

Aad  drive  disease  away. 

Then  faint  not  when  reverses  come; 

Have  faith,  and  hope,  and  trust. 
That  all  is  ordered  for  the  best — 

That  God  is  kind  and  just; 
Dwell  not  on  evils  that  may  come, 

Nor  mourn  o'er  evils  past. 
But  nurse  the  precious  hope  that  God 

Will  comfort  you  at  last. 

B.  J.  Ch. 


THE  JEWS  IN  ALEXANDRIA. 
I. 

That  fairy-land  on  the  Nile,  once  the  school  of  affliction  of  the 
Israelitish  people  and  the  cradle  of  Judaism,  became,  in  later  times, 
the  school  of  wisdom  for  the  Jewish  nation.  Whether  Alexander, 
the  conqueror  of  Asia  and  Egypt,  the  founder  of  Alexandria,  trans- 
planted a  Jewish  colony  into  Egypt,  or  the  first  Ptolemaean  removed 
many  Jewish  prisoners  to  Egypt,  who  received  their  freedom  of  his 
successor,  or  even  a  remnant  of  those  emigrants  who  sought  refuge 
in  Egypt  after  the  destruction  of  the  first  Temple,  had  preserved 
themselves  there,  it  remains  certain  that  the  .Ie^vish  population  was 
very  numerous,  amounting,  a  hundred  years  after  Alexander's  time, 
to  as  many  as  a  million. 

They  had  spread  all  over  Egypt,  from  the  Lybian  desert  in  the 
north  to  the  borders  of  Ethiopia  in  the  south.  In  Egypt  and  Cyrene 
the  Jews  enjoyed  the  same  privileges  as  the  Greek  inhabitants,  be- 
cause both  having  settled  there  at  the  same  time,  they  were  even 
preferred  to  the  Egyptian  aborigines,  who,  being  once  vanquished, 
were  treated  as  such  by  their  rulers.  The  Alexandrian  Jews  felt 
very  proud  of  this  equalization.  The  greatest  number  of  Jews  re- 
sided in  Alexandria,  which  was,  next  to  Rome,  the  second  town  for 
commerce  and  political  importance,  and,  in  the  same  manner,  next 
to  Athens,  the  second  for  arts  and  sciences.  Among  the  five  parts 
of  Alexandria,  the  Jews  occupied  almost  two;  especially  the  quarter 
called  Delta,  situated  on  the  sea-shore,  was  entirely  inhabited  by 
them.  As  an  Egyj)tian  ruler  had  granted  them  the  right  of  inspec- 
tion over  the  navigation  of  both  sea  and  river,  they  availed  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  thus  ofi'ered  in  carrying  on  a  larger  trade 
by  sea;  and  prosj)erity,  together  with  a  refined  mode  of  life,  were  the 
fruits  of  activity.  But  commerce  was  in  nowise  their  exclusive  oc- 
cupation.    There  were  among  the  Alexandrian  Jews  tradesmen  and 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  159 

artists;  if  any  artists  were  wanted  for  the  Temple  in  Jeinisalem,  they 
were  always  called  from  Alexandria,  the  same  as  they  were  formerly 
obtained  from  Phoenicia.  They  acquired  also  the  Grecian  art  of 
war  and  policy,  as  well  as  the  melodious  Greek  language,  and  at 
length  absorbed  themselves  in  Greek  erudition  and  philosophy,  so 
that  many  of  them  understood  Homer  and  Aristotle  quite  as  well  as 
Moses  and  Solomon,  while  others,  as  statesmen  and  generals,  ren- 
dered great  services  to  the  rulers  of  Egypt.  Thus  the  Jewish  con- 
gregation of  Alexandria  was  admitted  to  be  a  strong  pillar  of  Judaism. 
At  the  head  of  the  Egyptian  Jews  was  a  Chief  President,  who  was  of 
priestly  descent,  with  high  judicial  powers,  bearing  the  Grecian  name 
Alabarch ;  he  had  to  see  to  the  proper  payment  of  taxes  of  all  the 
Jews,  whom  he  was  bound  to  protect  under  all  circumstances.  Be- 
sides himself,  there  existed  also  a  high  council,  a  facsimile  of  the 
Jerusalem  one,  being  composed  of  seventy  members,  who  managed 
all  religious  affairs. 

In  every  part  of  the  town,  houses  of  prayer,  called  Proseuchen, 
were  erected,  among  which  the  building  of  the  chief  synagogue  was 
noted  for  its  artistic  style,  elegance  and  beautiful  endowments.  The 
same  was  so  extensive  that  a  functionary,  especially  appointed  for 
the  purpose,  had  to  swing  a  flag  as  often  as  the  congregation  had  to 
respond  "  Amen "  to  any  of  the  blessings  uttered  by  the  chanter, 
who,  otherwise,  could  not  be  heard  all  over  the  synagogue.  The 
synagogue  also  contained  splendidly  gilded  seats  for  each  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  high  council,  while  each  guild  had  its  own  place,  in  order 
that  every  stranger  entering  the  synagogue  might  at  once  recognize 
his  guild  and  be  able  to  join  his  colleagues.  The  houses  of  prayer 
in  Alexandria  were  also  houses  of  instruction,  for  on  all  Sabbaths  and 
festivals  discourses  were  held  by  those  well  versed  in  Scriptures,  who 
explained  in  the  Greek  language  the  appointed  portion  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch which  had  previously  been  read  to  the  congregation.  During 
the  Syrian  oppressions  many  prominent  Jewish  emigrants  came  from 
Judea  to  Alexandria,  and  the  most  eminent  among  them  was  Onias, 
the  youngest  son  of  Onias  III.,  the  last  legitimate  High-priest,  who, 
when  his  aged  and  venerable  father  was  murdered,  thought  himself 
no  more  safe  in  the  mother  country.  The  King  of  Egypt  received 
him  very  favorably,  and  Onias  rendered  him,  as  general,  many  im- 
portant services. 

When,  soon  afterward,  the  Temple  was  defiled  by  the  Syrians,  and 
especially  when  Alkimos  was  made  High-priest  illegally,  then  Onias 
resolved  to  erect  a  lawful  Temple  in  Egypt,  instead  of  the  one  defiled 
in  Jerusalem,  and  whose  High-priest  he  himself  would  be.  In  order 
to  obtain  the  consent  of  the  Jews,  he  backed  his  proposition  by  re- 
ferring them  to  the  prophecy  in  Isaiah,  which  should  thus  become 
fulfilled:  "One  day  an  altar  of  the  Lord  will  stand  in  Egypt." 
(xix:  19.)     The  then  reigning  king,  Philometer,  gave  him,  for  the 


160  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

purpose,  a  plot  of  laud  in  the  neighborhood  of  Heliopolis,  four  and  a 
half  geographical  miles  northeast  fi'om  Memphis,  in  the  laud  of 
Goshen,  where  once  Jacob's  descendants  dwelt  till  the  departure 
from  Egypt.  In  the  small  town  of  Leontopolis,  on  the  ruins  of  an 
Egyptian  idol-temple,  where  once  animals  were  idolatrously  wor- 
shijDed,  Onias  built  a  sanctuary  for  the  only  One  God.  The  exterior 
of  the  same  did  not  entirely  correspond  with  the  J  erusalem  Temple, 
but  was  more  in  the  form  of  a  tower,  and  built  from  fire-bricks,  while 
the  interior  contained  the  vessels  of  the  Temple,  after  the  model  in 
Jerusalem,  except  that  the  standing  candlestick  of  seven  branches 
was  replaced  by  a  golden  chandelier,  fixed  on  a  golden  chain.  Priests 
and  Levites  who  had  escaped  the  persecution  in  Jiidea  served  in 
Onias'  temple.  Eoi'  the  supjDort  of  the  temple  and  the  priests,  the 
king  resigned,  in  the  most  generous  manner,  all  the  revenues  of  the 
Heliopolitanic  country.  This  hapjDened  about  the  year  160.  Although 
the  Egyptian  Jews  considered  the  temple  of  Onias  as  their  centre, 
Avhither  they  all  went  on  i^ilgrimages  during  festivals  and  brought 
their  sacrifices,  yet  they  never  placed  the  same  on  a  par  with  the  one 
in  Jerusalem.  They,  on  the  contrary,  honored  J  erusalem  as  the  most 
sacred  capital  of  all  Judaism,  and  its  Temple  as  a  divine  jDlace.  As 
soon  as  it  recovered  its  former  dignity  after  the  Syrian  wars,  they  ful- 
filled toward  it  all  their  religious  obligations,  in  sending  yearly  theh' 
contributions  by  their  own  deputies,  and  also  sacrificed  there  now 
and  then.  But  in  Jerusalem  the}'  were  nevertheless  dissatisfied  with 
this  foreign  temple,  and  although  they  did  not  exactly  condemn  it, 
yet  they  maintained  that  the  same  was  opposed  to  the  express  deter- 
mination of  the  law  (Dent,  xii:  13).  The  priests  of  the  temple  of 
Onias  were  not  permitted  to  do  service  in  Jerusalem,  but  they  were, 
not  deprived  of  theii'  priestly  dignity,  and  received  their  share  of 
contributions  belonging  to  the  priests. 

Another  still  more  imijortant  occurrence,  encroaching  deeply 
on  the  world's  historic  fate,  also  took  place  at  that  time,  and  ujdou 
the  same  spot.  On  account  of  many  refugees  coming  fi'om  Judea  to 
Egypt,  who,  owing  to  their  great  attachment  to  the  paternal  law,  gave 
•  up  their  fatherland,  after  suffering  innumerable  afflictions,  a  desire 
rose  in  the  Egyptian  king  to  become  acquainted  with  this  so  much 
honored  law,  esjoecially  as  Antiochus,  the  persecutor  of  the  Jews,  was 
also  his  enemy.  He  ordered,  therefore,  that  seventy-two  theologians 
should  come  from  the  Holy  Land,  to  whom  he  gave  the  commission 
of  translating  for  him  the  law  of  Moses  into  Greek.  In  order  that 
they  should  be  undisturbed  in  this  important  work,  and  that  no  com- 
munication should  take  place  between  them,  he  brought  them  to  the 
Isle  of  Pharos,  situated  a  short  distance  from  Alexantliia,  where  he 
placed  each  of  them  in  a  separate  apariment.  Yet  their  separate 
labor  is  said  to  have  agreed,  proving  to  the  king  the  correctness  of  their 
interpretation.     This  translation  is  therefore  generally  called  "  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  161 

traiislation  of  the  seventy ''  (Septuaginta).  In  course  of  time,  also, 
the  reniainiufif  books  of  Holy  Writ  were  translated;  nay,  even  inde- 
])endently  of  these,  some  other  books,  facsimiles  of  tlieBihHcal  ones, 
Avere  composed,  such  as  the  "Book  of  Wisdom,"  and  mostly  the  so- 
called  Apocrypha,  excejit  the  Book  of  Sirach,  which  was  orifijinally 
written  in  the  sacred  tongue.  The  completion  of  this  work  caused 
great  joy  among  the  Jews  of  Alexandria  and  Egypt.  They  were 
proud  that  the  Greeks,  boasting  so  much  of  their  wisdom,  at  length 
perceived  how  much  more  sublime  and  ancient  the  wisdom  of 
Judaism  is  than  the  doctrines  of  Grecian  philosophers.  It  pleased 
them  to  be  able  to  say :  "  Behold,  Moses  is  greater  than  your  phil- 
osophers." Therefore,  in  remembrance  of  this  event,  the  day  on 
which  the  king  received  the  translation  was  kept  as  a  jubilee  on  the 
Isle  of  Pharos. 

II. 

Although  the  Greek  translation  of  Holy  Writ  proved  rather  suc- 
cessful in  making  the  heathen  acquainted  with  Judaism,  the  pious 
in  Judea  were  no  more  pleased  with  that  event  than  with  the  estab- 
lishing of  Onias'  temple.  They  hated  already  the  Grecian  system, 
which  brought  so  much  evil  upon  the  nation  and  sanctuaries?,  and 
therefore  this  translation  increased  only  their  apprehension.  Wovild 
not  their  foreign  brethren  become  thus  more  estranged  from  the 
mother  country  and  the  mother  tongue  ?  Was  a  clear  study  of  the 
law  possible  from  such  a  translation  ?  Is  it  at  all  likely  to  execute  a 
translation  into  a  language  so  radically  different  that  the  right  sense 
of  each  expression  could  be  properly  rendered?  How  could  the 
Greek  text  of  the  law  be  always  watched,  that  no  one  should  ven- 
ture upon  making  alterations  in  the  attempt  to  effect  improvements  ? 
It  was  indeed  the  case  that,  after  a  few  generations,  the  Jews  of 
Alexandria  cared  but  little  for  the  original  sacred  writings,  and  thus 
they  forgot  the  sacred  tongue,  and  in  their  translation  many  arbi- 
trary alterations,  additions  and  omissions  crept  in.  Yet,  all  these 
errors  they  deemed  the  word  of  God.  Therefore  the  pious  of  Judea 
considered  the  day  of  translation — which  the  Egyptian  Jews  kept  as 
a  jubilee,  as  a  national  calamity — like  unto  the  day  when  the  golden 
calf  Avas  placed  before  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  as  their  god; 
it  is  even  said  that  the  day  (8th  Tebeth)  was  instituted  as  a  fast  day. 

But  aflfliction,  heavy  affliction,  the  Jews  of  Alexandria  had  once  to 
endure.  The  prosperous  state,  which  their  diligence  and  industry 
had  produced,  the  established  renown  of  the  Jews,  which  their  ac- 
complishments and  knowledge  had  procured  for  them,  the  favor  in 
which  they  stood  among  the  Egyptian  governors,  and  later  the 
Roman  rulers— all  this  raised  the  most  violent  envy  among  the 
Greek  inhabitants  of  Alexandria.  The  hatred  of  the  Greeks  was  the 
greater  because  they  thought  the  Jews  had  lured  away  their  beauti- 

PART  11. — 11 


162  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

fill  language,  art  and  science,  and  yet  they  took  care  not  to  become 
infected  by  their  heathenish  immorality,  but  pei-sisted  in  their  be- 
lief in  only  One  God,  whUe  all  the  people  of  the  East  believed  in  the 
ridiculous  fables  of  their  mythology.  Certain  writers  inimical  to  the 
Jews — especially  the  false  Apion — spread  among  the  raob  the  most 
absurd  reports  respecting  Jews  and  Judaism.  The  order  given  by 
the  Roman  emperor,  Caligula,  that  in  all  the  temples  of  the  empire 
his  statue  should  be  put  up,  and  divinely  worshiped,  was  a  welcome 
opportunity  for  the  enraged  mob  to  fall  upon  the  Jews.  They 
stormed  the  synagogues,  placing  therein  the  statues  of  the  emperor  as 
idols.  The  Jews  were  expelled  from  all  parts  of  Alexandria  and 
pressed  together  in  the  quarter  Delta,  which  was  inhabited  by  them 
only.  Their  houses  and  workshops,  which  they  had  left,  were  soon 
entered  by  the  bloodthirsty  mob,  who  robbed  and  destroyed  what 
diligence  and  industry  had  gathered  together  during  centuries.  The 
qviarter  Delta  was  surroimded,  in  order  to  prevent  the  Jews  from 
leaving  the  place,  and  the  mob  thought  they  would  have  to  succumb 
to  heat  and  hunger  in  being  kept  together  in  so  limited  a  space.  ^  If 
the  want  of  provisions  forced  any  to  leave  the  besieged  quarter,  the 
mob  seized  them,  maltreating  them  most  cruelly,  putting  them  to  the 
rack,  and  pitilessly  throwing  them  into  the  fire;  even  to  the  female 
sex  no  mercy  was  shown.  The  members  of  the  High  Council  were 
attacked  in  their  houses,  dragged  to  the  theatre  and  publicly  lashed. 
It  was  the  Roman  governor  who  was  guilty  of  these  acts  of  violence, 
which  were  the  more  so  wholly  barbarous,  because  the  privileges 
granted  to  the  Jews  by  the  emperor  ought  to  have  protected  them 
fi'om  such  degrading  punishment;  besides,  the  lashing  took  place 
on  the  emjDeror's  birthday,  which  brought  even  to  criminals  a  delay 
of  punishment.  The  same  governor  also  deprived  the  Jewish  in- 
habitants of  their  citizenship,  which  they  had  exercised  with  pride 
for  centuries  before,  it  having  been  guaranteed  to  them  by  all  the 
emperors,  but  now  they  were  declared  strangers  and  outlaws,  although 
they  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  science,  art,  trade  and  navi- 
gation quite  as  much  as  the  Greek  population. 

The  despotic  command  of  the  emperor  might  have  jDut  a  stop  to  all 
the  differences,  but  he  was  ill-disposed  toward  the  Jews,  because  they 
refused  in  Jenisalem — as  well  as  in  Alexandria — to  pay  divine  honors 
to  his  statue.  A  deputation  sent  to  him  he  would  scarcely  listen  to, 
receiving  them  with  the  words:  "You  are  also  those  who  desj^ise  the 
gods,  and  would  not  acknowledge  me  as  god,  but  you  deify  an  anony- 
mous one,  while,  except  yourseK,  all  worship  me."  When  the  dejDuties 
replied  that  they  sacrificed  for  the  emperor,  he  observed:  "  What 
use  is  sacrificing  for  me,  if  it  is  not  to  me."  At  the  departure  of  the 
deputation  he  said:  "These  people  seem  to  me  less  wicked  than 
ignorant  in  denying  my  divinity."  Thus  the  Jews  had  to  commit 
their  just  cause  unto  God,  and  it  has  not  transpired  how  the  quarrel 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  1C3 

ended.  On  the  death  of  Caligula,  in  the  year  41,  who  suffered  an 
awful  death  at  the  hands  of  his  soldiers,  this  occurrence  brouf^ht 
to  the  Jews  of  Judea  deliverance,  and  also  better  times  for  those  of 
Alexandria. 

Although  most  of  the  Alexandrian  Jews  remained  under  their 
afHictions  true  to  the  paternal  religion,  there  wex'e,  nevertheless,  many 
who  seemed  to  care  but  little  for  Judaism.  They  esteemed  the  Gre- 
cian philosophy  quite  as  much  as  the  word  of  Grod — became  frivolous 
and  immoral.  The  Alexandrian  interpreters  of  the  law  believed  that 
the  contents  of  Holy  Writ,  both  historically  and  legally,  must  be 
taken  in  a  symbolic  sense ;  that  the  divine  laws  should  awaken  in  us 
certain  thoughts  and  sentiments,  which  make  the  actual  observance 
of  the  religious  Uws,  such  as  Sabbath,  festivals  and  circumcision,  quite 
su^pertiuous.  Such  views  caused  many  to  feel  indifferent  toward 
practical  J  udaism.  This  lukewarmness  was  opposed  in  word,  deed 
and  writing  by  a  man  whose  name  ought  to  be  known  to  every  Jew — 
Philo.  In  excehent,  animated  language  he  spoke  of  the  continual 
obligation  of  the  law,  and  thus  iuspii'ed  his  contemporaries  with 
fresh  love  for  it.  In  decided  and  severe  tones  he  expresses  himself 
against  those  who  felt  satisfied  with  the  sublime  sentiments  met  with 
in  the  law,  but  who  treated  the  law  indifferently;  he  called  them 
frivolous  and  superficial.  The  Holy  Law  teaches  us,  indeed,  to  ele- 
vate ourselves  to  a  more  sublime  mode  of  thinking,  but  without 
leaving  anything  undone  of  the  rites  and  ceremonies.  Should  we, 
he  remarked,  because  we  know  the  importance  of  the  Sabbath,  keep 
the  same  no  longer  ?  Should  we  cease  with  circumcision,  because 
we  know  its  signification  ?  Then  we  should  lose  the  law,  and  in  the 
end  the  sense  thereof  as  well. 

He  descended  from  an  eminent  priestly  family,  and  was  a  brother 
to  the  Alabarch.  Evei-ything  which  at  that  time  belonged  to  science 
he  had  thoroughly  studied  from  his  earliest  days,  and  he  was  con- 
sidered the  greatest  scholar  and  most  profound  thinker  of  his  time; 
but  only  to  Judaism,  he  remarked,  belongs  true  wisdom.  There- 
fore he  was  continually  absorbed  in  its  Scriptural  works,  and  the  glori- 
fication of  the  same  he  considered  to  be  his  life's  task,  for  which  pur- 
pose he  published  his  numerous  works,  which  partly  have  been  handed 
down  to  us.  He  lived  a  temperate,  plain  and  retired  life;  virtue  he 
esteemed  as  the  highest  ornament  of  man.  Only  for  the  sole  jDur- 
jDose  of  serving  his  brethren  would  he  leave  his  studies.  He  was  the 
spokesman  of  the  deputation  sent  to  Caligula,  and  when  an  aged 
man  he  traveled  to  Rome  in  behalf  of  the  Alexandrian  Jews.  One 
of  his  most  important  works  is  the  refutation  of  Apian. 

After  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  the  zealots  tried  to  renew  the 
rising  against  the  Romans  in  Alexandria,  but  their  plan  was  defeated. 
Vespasian,  the  emj^eror,  who  was  afraid  Egypt  would  become  the 
hearth  of  fresh  resurrections  of  the  J  ews,  ordered  them  to  close  the 


164 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Onias  temj^le,  in  order  to  deprive  tliem  of  their  relif^iotis  center. 
All  the  sacred  vessels  went— like  those  of  Jerusalem— into  the  im- 
perial treasury,  and  the  Ef'yptian  sanctuary,  after  existing  233  years, 
was  closed  forever  in  the  year  73. 
— ■  Dr.  Jost. 


Aborigines — The  earliest  inhabitants  of  a 
country. 
To  Absokb — To  swallow ;  to  suck  up. 


Philosophy — Knowledge,  natural  or  moral. 
Mythology — System  ot  fables. 


CONTKAST  BETWEEN  JEWS  AND  SAMARITANS. 

The  gratification  of  the  Alexandrian  Jews  at  having  disclosed 
to  their  Greek  neighbors  their  sacred  monuments  of  literature, 
awakened  the  ill-will  of  a  sect  which  always  was  the  irreconcilable 
enemy  of  the  Jews.  There  lived  in  northern  Palestine  a  not  very 
numerous  small  nation,  comprised  of  the  remnants  of  the  late  king- 
dom of  the  Ten  Tribes  and  heathen  emigrants  from  the  other  side 
of  the  Euphrates,  and  caDed  Samaritans,  or  Cuthim.  Though  in 
most  jjoints  adherents  of  the  Jewish  creed,  yet,  owing  to  reminis- 
cences of  old  hostilities,  they  hated  the  Jews  bitterly ;  and  the  ill- 
feeling  was  mutual.  What  chiefly  offended  the  Jewish  lieai-t  was 
the  existence  of  a  rival  temple  with  sacrificial  ceremonies  on  the 
mountain  of  Garizim,  for  the  sacredness  of  which  the  Samaritans 
claimed  the  authority  of  a  Biblical  verse. 

This  mutual  antijjathy  followed  the  adherents  of  Jerusalem  and 
of  Garizim  into  foreign  countries,  where  they  continued  their  con- 
test with  that  jDeculiar  jealousy  which  stimulates  religious  com- 
munities removed  from  home  to  watch  over  their  domestic  tra- 
ditions. 

The  translation  of  the  Torah  into  Greek,  favored  as  it  was  by 
King  PhHometar,  appears  to  have  given  fresh  food  to  their  hatred. 
It  must,  indeed,  have  deeply  grieved  the  Samaritans  to  see  the 
sacredness  of  their  temple  impaired  by  the  septuagints,  since  the 
Greek  text  did  not  contain  the  verse,  "  And  thou  shalt  build  an  altar 
on  the  mo  unt  of  Garizim,"  which  they  had  smuggled  into  their 
Bible.  The  Samaritans  of  Alexandria,  it  appears,  protested  against 
the  translation,  which  they  alleged  contained  a  forgery  of  the  text; 
and  as  probably  some  of  them  were  w^ell  liked  at  the  royal  court, 
their  influence  prevailed  uj^on  the  mild  monarch  to  arrange  a  re- 
ligious disputation  between  the  contesting  sects  for  the  sake  of  de- 
ciding the  question  of  sui^eriority  between  the  temj)les  of  Jerusa- 
lem and  Garizim. 

This  was  the  first  religious  debate  that  ever  w^as  held  before  a 
secular  authority.  It  differed  from  those  which  subsequently  were 
of  fi'equent  occurrence  in  the  course  of  Jewish  history,  in  that  the 
arbiter  was  entirely  impartial  as  to  the  pending  question;  and,  ac- 


FOR  THE  USB  OF  ISRAELITES.  165 

corclingly,  the  contestants  were  at  fvill  liberty  to  bring  forth  their 
arguments  without  restraint  or  reservation. 

Each  party  selected  its  best  scholars  for  sjiokesmen.  Androni- 
cus  ben  Messalem,  otherwise  unknown,  pleaded  for  the  Jews;  while 
the  Samaritans  were  represented  by  two  men,  Sabbai  and  Theodo- 
sius,  who  are  not  without  learned  reputation  in  Samaritan  history; 
the  latter,  whose  name  appears  variably  changed  into  Do>iitai,  Dos- 
tai  and  Dostan,  being  reported  as  the  father  of  a  Samaritan  sect, 
which,  except  as  to  the  sacred  character  of  Mount  Garizim,  very 
nearly  met  the  Jewish  views,  and  which,  under  the  name  of  Dosite- 
ans  or  Dostans,  held  its  ground  against  the  old  Samaritans  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time.  In  what  manner  the  disj)utation  was 
conducted  and  how  it  resulted,  the  legendary  character  of  the  ex- 
tant reports  makes  it  impossible  to  ascertain.  As  there  was  never  a 
tangible  result  arrived  at  in  the  way  of  religious  disputations,  so 
in  this  case  each  party  claimed  the  victory;  and  each  in  its  repoi-ts 
has  exaggerated  its  success.  According  to  the  Jewish  account,  a 
condition  was  laid  down  (which  is  certainly  untrue)  that  the  king 
should  have  the  right  and  the  duty  to  execute  the  defeated  dispu- 
tants, and  when,  therefore,  Andronicus  had  cited  the  long  succes- 
sion, from  Aaron  down  to  the  present  day,  of  High-priests  who  had 
officiated  in  the  Jerusalemic  temples,  and  furthermore  pointed  out 
the  fact  that  the  King  of  Asia  had  frequently  enriched  the  same 
temple  with  costly  votive  ofl'erings,  while  the  Garizim  temple  could 
not  boast  of  any  similar  honor,  the  defeat  of  the  Samaritans  was 
publicly  proclaimed,  and  their  execution  performed  in  conformity 
with  the  agreement. 

The  contrary  reports,  however,  which  are  of  a  much  later  date, 
and  still  obscurer  nature,  assign  the  victory  to  the  Samaritans,  who 
advanced  the  argument  that  Moses,  the  law-giver,  could  not  possi- 
bly leave  in  abeyance  a  matter  of  such  importance  as  the  national 
place  of  worship  (Kiblah) ;  it  was  therefore  certain  that  in  his  last 
benediction,  when  alluding  to  a  mountain  belonging  to  the  tribe  of 
Joseph,  he  meant  to  distinguish  the  Mount  Garizim,  whereas  no 
proof  could  be  adduced  against  them  from  the  other  Jewish  writ- 
ings, because  they  denied  their  sacred  origin,  and  refused  to  acknowl- 
edge their  authors  as  prophets.  By  these  arguments,  the  Samari- 
tan reports  say,  convinced  of  the  holiness  of  the  Samaritan  temple, 
the  king  forbade  the  Jews,  under  penalty  of  death,  from  ascending 
the  mountain  of  Garizim.  J.  R. 

[Prom  a  lecture  by  Rev.  Dr.  Jastrovv,  minister  of  "  Rodef  Shalom,"  Philadelphia.] 


Antipathy — A  natural  repugnance  against 
anything. 

Septuagikt  -  The  old  Greek  version  of  the 
Old  Testament. 

Abbiter — A  judge  appointed  by  parties,  to 


whose  determination  they  voluntarily  submit. 

Votive — Given  by  vow. 

Abettance— A  fee  or  right  in  considaration 
of  the  law. 


166 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


HYMN  TO  THE  DEITY. 


In  the  dim  twilight  of  the  leafy  woods, 
Where  the  light  zephyr  stirs  the  cano- 
pies. 
And  sways  the  foliage  of  dark  forest 
trees; 
On  the  wild  waste  of  waters,  when  the 
floods 
Lift  up    their    voices,    and  in  grief 

or  glee 
Still    touch  the    heart  with  nature's 

minstrelsy — 
There,  even  there,  let  the  soul  turn 
to  Thee, 
And  thank   Thee  for  the  beauties  of 

this  earth. 
For  all  the  glorious   things   to  which 
Thou  gavest  birth. 

O'er  the  wild  desert's  sandy  solitude. 
Where  the  sirocco  breathes  its  wither- 
ing flame, 
And    the   lone   traveler   treads   with 
wearied  frame, 
Thou  bringest  his  heart  to  Thee,  Giver 
of   Good; 
There   the  oasis  springs,   leafy    and 
green. 


Zephyr — West  wind;  any  calm  ■wind. 
SiKOCco — The  southeast  or  Syrian  wind. 


Like  a  sweet  fairy  isle,  in  slumber 
seen; 
Gladdening  his  heart  when  every  hope 

was  past. 
And  every  death-fraught  moment  seem- 
ed his  last. 

Thou   boldest  the   mighty  thunder  in 
Thy  hand, 
And  the  frail  leaflet  of  earth's  mean- 
est flower; 
The  writhing  waves  own  and  obey 
Thy  power, 
And  check  their  fury  at  Thy  dread  com- 
mand. 
Oh  !  turn  our  hearts  to  such  piety 
As  all  inanimate  creation  bears; 
Let     that  instruct  us   in  our  daily 
prayers. 
And  teach  us  how  to  raise  our  thoughts 

to  Thee, 
In  forest,  desert,  ocean,  everywhere. 
Turn  Thou  the  heart  to  Thee,  0  God  ! 
in  prayer. 

Rebekah  Hyneman. 

Oasis— A  fertile  spot  in  a  desert. 


THE  SPREAD  OF  JUDAISM. 

There  is  no  people  extant  to  whom  even  in  the  cradle  the  song  of 
endless  Avandering  and  dispersion  had  grown  more  familiar  than  the 
Jews;  and  this  awful  cradle-song  has  reaUy  become  fulfilled  to  the 
very  letter  of  its  fi'ightful  utterance.  There  was  not  a  corner  in  the 
two  empires  of  Rome  and  Parthia  where  Jews  did  not  reside,  and 
where  they  had  not  grown  into  a  religious  community  of  their  own. 
The  borders  of  the  great  basin  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  the 
mouth  of  all  the  principal  streams  of  the  old  world—  Nile,  Euphrates, 
Tigris  and  Danube — were  all  populated  by  the  Jews.  Like  an  inex- 
orable fatality,  the  sons  of  Israel  were  driven  continually  further 
aAvay  fi'om  their  center. 

But,  however  scattered  the  body  may  have  been,  its  limbs  were, 
nevertheless,  not  loosened  from  another ;  they  had  a  point  of  union 
in  the  Jeiiisalem  Temple,  as  well  as  in  the  Sanhedrim  of  that  place, 
to  which  the  dispersed  ones  clung  with  all  their  heart.  To  this 
spot  their  attention  was  directed,  thither  theu*  contributions  went, 
to  enable  them  at  least  to   participate  in  the  sacrificial  worshii^. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  ^  167 

Their  religious  and  moral  life  was  ruled  by  instructioiis  received 
from  the  Sanhedrim,  and  these  were  the  more  willingly  observed, 
inasmuch  as  they  were  not  applied  by  force.  The  Sanhedrim  sent 
deputies  from  time  to  time  to  all  parts,  in  order  to  acquaint  the 
people  with  their  most  important  decrees.  Even  Jews  not  natives 
of  Palestine  possessed  their  own  places  of  worship  in  Jerusalem, 
where  they  met  for  service.  There  were  in  the  capital  synagogues 
for  coreligionists  from  Alexandria,  Cyrenaea,  Sicily  and  other  places. 
It  is  said  that  the  number  of  synagogues  amounted  to  380,  and 
this  is  probably  no  exaggeration,  considering  that  dviring  the  Pass- 
over festival  there  were  often  as  manj^  as  two  millions  of  people 
gathered  together  here  fi'om  all  countries;  and  to  form  a  proper 
estimate  of  the  great  number  of  Jews  of  those  times  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  state  that  in  Egypt  alone,  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to 
the  borders  of  Ethiopia,  nearly  one  million  of  Jews  resided. 

In  Syria,  and  especially  in  the  capital,  Antiochia,  the  principal 
part  of  the  population  were  Jews.  The  congregation  of  Antiochia 
had  a  beautiful  synagogue,  rich  in  costly  gifts,  all  dedicated  to  the 
service  of  God.  In  Eome,  the  metropolis  of  the  world,  they  resided 
in  such  great  numbers  that  they  even  exercised  some  influence  in 
politics;  and  as  those  formerly  resident  there,  as  well  as  the  ran- 
somed prisoners,  were  entitled  to  vote  in  popular  assemblies,  they 
often  succeeded,  by  their  unanimous,  active,  cool  and  dispassionate 
conception  of  all  affairs,  and  perhaps  even  by  their  power  of  mind, 
in  determining  many  a  popular  decree.  In  fact,  they  Avere  possessed 
of  so  much  influence,  that  even  the  eloquent  Cicero,  in  attempting 
once  to  speak  against  the  Jews,  felt  afraid  to  utter  his  hostile  opin- 
ions, in  order  not  to  incur  their  displeasure.  Yet  still  larger  than 
in  Europe,  Syria  and  Africa  were  the  number  of  Jews  in  the  Par- 
thian countries,  the  remaining  portion  of  former  exiles,  who  were 
possessed  of  whole  districts  of  land  in  Mesopotamia  and  Babylonia. 
In  the  countries  beyond  the  Tigris,  in  Media  and  Persia,  many 
Jewish  congregations  existed,  and  the  president  of  the  Sanhedrim 
issued  to  them  also  a  missive,  which  has  been  preserved  for  us,  and 
runs  as  follows  : 

"  To  our  brethren,  the  exiles  in  Babylon,  Media,  Greece,  and  to 
all  other  exiles  in  Israel,  greeting  :  We  herewith  make  known  to 
you  that  the  lambs  of  this  year  are  still  tender,  doves  have  not 
fledged  yet,  and  the  spring  being  retarded,  it  pleased  myself  and 
associates  to  prolong  the  current  year  for  thirty  days." 

The  towns  of  Athens,  Corinth,  Thessalonia  and  Philippi  had 
Jewish  congregations.  It  is  also  certain  that  Rome  sent  Jewish 
colonies  westward,  to  the  southern  parts  of  France  and  Si)ain, 
although  we  cannot  exactly  trace  them  in  those  countries  previous 
to  the  destruction  of  the  Temple. 

But  this  dispersion  was  a  blessing  as  well  as  the  work  of  an  all- 


168  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

wise  ProAddence.  The  indelibleness  of  immortality  of  the  Jewish 
race  was  thus  secured.  In  one  country  persecuted  and  crushed, 
they  p^athered  in  another,  always  forming  fresh  establishments  for 
the  doctrine  which  continually  became  more  and  more  endeared  to 
them.  They  were  like  scattered  grains  of  seed  appointed  by  Prov- 
idence to  transjDlant  everywhere  a  true  and  pure  knowledge  of  God, 
as  well  as  a  more  enlightened  civilization.  As  the  colonization  of 
the  Greeks  contributed  toward  awakening  among  different  nations 
an  appreciation  of  art  and  science,  as  the  settlements  of  the  Komans 
served  to  forward  in  many  countries  well  arranged  commonalities, 
based  upon  principles  of  right  and  justice  and  established  law,  so 
the  widespread  dispersion  of  the  Jews  had  the  indisputable,  effect 
of  counteracting  the  false  notions  and  the  brutalizing  vices  of 
heathenism. 

The  first  impression  which  Judaism  made  upon  heathen  nations 
was  of  a  repulsive  nature ;  the  Jews  appeared  to  them,  in  reference  to 
their  peculiar  mode  of  life,  customs,  and  in  all  theii*  religious  vieAvs,  a 
somewhat  singular,  enigmatical  and  mysterious  race.  They  were 
unable  to  fathom  them,  and  looked  upon  them  now  with  profound 
aversion,  and  then  again  with  the  utmost  irony.  The  antithesis 
between  Judaism  and  heathenism  was  so  decidedly  put  forw^ard 
that  it  became  manifest  in  every  act.  Whatever  was  holy  to  the 
heathen,  was  to  the  Jews  abomination;  and  whatever  the  former 
considered  as  a  matter  of  indifference,  became  to  the  latter  an  object 
of  piety.  The  separation  of  the  Jews  from  the  common  dining- 
table,  their  aversion  to  intermarrying  with  heathens,  their  absti- 
nence fi'om  hog's  flesh,  and  also  their  objection  to  make  use  of  waim 
food  on  the  Sabbath  day,  all  these  matters  the  heathen  considered 
perverse  doctrines,  and  the  restrictions  in  regard  to  social  inter- 
course as  misanthropy.  The  covenant  of  circumcision  was  to  the 
heathen  a  special  object  of  astonishment  and  derision.  Even  the 
seriousness  of  the  Jews,  who  would  never  take  pai-t  in  the  childish 
amusements  of  the  theater  and  its  bloody  combats,  seemed  to  them 
the  effect  of  a  gloomy  temper,  which  finds  no  pleasure  in  such  beau- 
tiful pastimes.  Therefore  all  superficial  minds  considered  Judaism 
a  barbarous  superstition,  which  teaches  mankind  nothing  but  un- 
charitableness;  while  the  more  profound  looker-on,  in  contem- 
plating the  pure  adoration,  free  from  all  idol  worship,  of  the  only 
One  God,  as  weU  as  the  other  attachments  and  sympathies  jjrevail- 
ing  among  the  Jews,  together  with  their  chastity,  temj)erance,  and 
firmness,  readily  confessed  his  admiration  for  the  many  excellencies 
which  characterized  them. 

The  penetrating  and  moral  minds  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
soon  came  to  this  conviction,  turning  away  in  disgust  from  a  religion 
which,  besides  its  unworthy  representation  of  a  divinity,  seemed  to 
justify  even  a  vicious  life  according  to  the  model  of  their  idols.     The 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


169 


want  of  religion,  Avliich  was  much  felt  among  the  people  of  the  an- 
cient world,  caustfl  many  a  heathen,  wlio  sought  alter  religious  and 
moral  truths,  to  embrace  Judaism,  the  nature  of  which  became 
more  apparent  to  them  by  their  intercourse  with  intelligent  Jews, 
l^artly  through  the  Greek  translation  of  the  religious  system  of  Ju- 
daism, and  partly  also  through  the  Greek-Alexandrinean  literature. 
During  the  latter  part  of  the  century  previous  to  the  decline  of  the 
Jewish  realm,  more  proselytes  existed  than  at  any  other  period,  all 
of  whom  embraced  Judaism,  not  for  the  sake  of  worldly  advantages, 
but  entirely  from  pure  conviction.  In  Judaism  they  found  ease  of 
mind  for  all  their  doubts,  and  food  for  their  spiritual  and  temjDoral 
welfare.  Philo  states  that,  from  j^ersonal  experience  in  his  father- 
land, he  is  able  to  testify  as  to  the  alteration  of  conduct  of  all  the 
heathens  who  embraced  Judaism.  They  led  a  life  of  virtue,  mod- 
eration, benignity  and  humanity ;  and  especially  the  women  were 
attracted  by  the  fihal  yet  sublime  representations  of  the  Bible.  In 
Damascus  almost  all  the  heathen  women  embraced  Judaism.  In 
this  manner  Judaism  found  access  to  all  the  Asiatic  courts,  and  the 
royal  members  remained  true  followers  of  the  Jewish  faith  during 
several  generations.  H.  Geaetz. 


iNEXoiiABtE    Not  to  be  moved  by  entreaty. 
Fatality    Decree  of  fate. 
Sanhedkim — Seventy    elders    of    the    Chief 
Council  of  the  Jews. 
Missive — A  letter. 
CouNTEEACT — To  hinder. 
Enigmatic—  Obscure. 


Aktithesis— Contrast. 
MiSANTHKOPT— Hatred  of  mankind. 
Superficial— Shallow;   without  learning. 
Chas-tity  — 1-urity  of  body. 
Vicious— Given  to  vice. 
Benignity    Actual  kindness. 


THE  LORD  IS  NIGH. 


When    the    storin-shattered    vessel    is 
toss'd  by  the  gale. 
And  each  billow  speeds  on,  bearing 
havoc  and  death, 
Till  the    courage  grows  weak  and  the 
strength  waxes  frail. 
With    the  wild    sky  above,  and   the 
wild  waves  beneath; 

When  the  young  heart  is  crashed  'mid 
its  early  delights, 
And  the  soul  is  bowed  down  with  a 
weight  of  despair, 
And  wo  turn  from  a  treacherous  world, 
that  requites 
Our    warmest     heart- treasures    with 
anguish  and  care; 

When    the    one   whom    we    cherished 
turns  coldly  away, 
And  we  weep  o'er  the  dream  that  has 
cheated  our  youth. 


And   mourn   that  no  longer  one  love- 
beaming  ray 
Will  return  to  illumine  our  pathway 
with  truth; 

Then  !  then  in  our  anguish  we  fly  unto 
Thee, 
When  the  false  world  is  fading  like 
dreams  of  the  night,' 
And  the  idols  to  whom  we  have  bended 
the  knee 
Have  fallen  to  earth ,  and  are  hid  from 
our  sight. 

And  Thou  !  oh  !  Thou  hearest  the  sup- 
pliant's voice. 
Whether    tossed    on  the     ocean,   or 
wrecked  on  the  earth; 
And  Thy  mercy  can  cause  the  sad  heart 
to  rejoice, 
Tho'  surrounded  by  perils  and  storms 
from  its  birth. 

Rebekah  Hyneman. 


170  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

HEROD,  KING  OF  JUDEA. 

[37  B.]  • 

Antipater  had  left  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  sur- 
passed him  in  eftontery;  and  especially  one,  Herod,  whom  history, 
as  if  in  mockery,  surnamed  the  G-reat,  proved  an  evil  demon  for  the 
Jewish  nation.  Like  his  intriguing  father,  he  sought  at  any  price 
to  gain  the  honor  of  the  Romans,  and  he  despised  no  means,  how- 
ever bad,  if  they  only  led  to  this  object.  He  knew  well  how  to  cringe 
and  to  flatter,  and  to  extort  money,  in  order  to  corrupt  with  it.  Yet 
fortune  seemed  to  favor  him  amazingly,  so  that  from  all  difficulties 
he  always  emerged  with  still  greater  power.  His  life  offers  a  pic- 
tiu-e  of  audacity  fi'om  the  first,  as  this  incident  in  his  early  days 
shows : 

A  small  troop  of  Aristobulus'  army  had  succeeded  in  keeping  their 
ground  in  the  Galilean  mountains,  and  were  only  waiting  for  a  favor- 
able opportunity  to  hoist  the  flag  against  the  enemies  of  their  father- 
land. They  were  considered  by  the  Romans  a  band  of  robbers,  and 
their  leader,  Ezekias,  was  termed  a  captain  of  robbers;  while  the 
Jews  looked  vipon  them  as  avengers  of  their  honor  and  liberty.  In 
order  to  gain  the  favor  of  a  foreign  government,  Herod  undertook 
an  expedition  against  them,  made  Ezekias  prisoner,  and  had  him 
executed  without  trial.  This  was  a  great  violation  of  the  law,  for 
whether  Ezekias  was  innocent  or  not,  the  right  over  life  and  death 
belongs  to  a  court  of  justice  only.  Some  men  of  high  standing, 
indeed,  appealed  to  the  weak-minded  Hyrkanus  not  to  permit  any 
longer  that  Idumseans  should  deride  the  law  in  this  manner;  and, 
however  reluctantly  this  weakling  felt,  he  was  at  length  obliged  to 
order  that  the  audacious  Herod  be  summoned  before  the  Sanhedrim, 
over  which  Shammai  and  Abtalion  presided.  But  how  did  he  ap- 
pear? In  purj^le  and  inarms,  and surrovinded  by  a  body-guard,  he, 
the  descendant  of  a  prisoner  of  war,  clad  in  princely  garments  !  This 
deprived  the  judges  of  their  courage,  and  only  Shammai  took  heart 
to  say,  "  Does  not  the  j^risoner  who  stands  accused  of  murder  ap- 
pear before  you,  as  if  ready  to  put  us  to  death,  should  we  declare  him 
guilty  ?  But  I  am  almost  inclined  to  attach  less  blame  to  him  than 
to  you  and  the  king,  that  you  suffer  justice  to  be  thus  abused.  Know, 
then,  that  the  man  at  whose  presence  you  now  tremble  will,  one 
day,  deliver  you  all  to  the  axe  of  the  executioner."  These  spirited 
words  roused  the  judges,  who  now  threatened  to  pass  sentence  upon 
the  accused.  But  Hyrkanus  ordered  the  trial  to  be  adjourned,  and 
he  thus  gave  Herod  a  chance  to  make  his  escape. 

When  the  power  of  Herod  began  to  increase,  and  found  the  nation 
daily  more  oppressed  and  weak,  Antigonus,  son  of  the  unfortunate 
Aristobulus  II.,  succeeded  in  raising  a  strong  army,  entered  upon 
alliance  with  the  Parthians,  Rome's  most  powerful  enemies,  and  then 
ad-vanced  on  Jerusalem.     Phasael,  Herod's  brother,  and  Hyrkanus 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  171 

fell  into  their  hands;  the  former  committed  suicide  in  prison,  and 
the  latter  had  his  ears  cut  off,  to  make  him  unlit  for  the  office  of 
High-priest,  and,  mutilated  in  this  manner,  the  Parthians  took  him 
prisoner  to  Babylon;  while  Herod  fled,  and  the  curses  of  the  whole 
nation  followed  him.  Thus  Antigonus,  who  bore  the  Hebrew  name 
of  his  great  grandfather,  Mattathias,  was  again  upon  the  throne  of 
the  Asmoneans;  Judea  cleared  of  foreign  troops;  and,  after  a  hard 
struggle  of  thirty  years,  they  could  venture  upon  enjoying  momentary 
repose,  having  thus  regained  independence. 

But  it  was  only  a  dream,  a  short  dream,  for  Antigonus  was  no 
match  for  Herod,  either  in  intellect  or  energy.  In  his  flight,  de- 
prived of  all  means,  he  traveled  through  the  wilderness,  and,  after  a 
stormy  sea  voyage,  at  length  arrived  in  Rome  Here  they  acknowl- 
edged that  he  deserved  the  respect  of  Rome,  and  j^romised  to  assist 
him  in  his  troubles.  The  Roman  Senate  declared  Antigonus  an 
enemy  of  the  Roman  Emj^ire,  and  made  Herod  King  of  Judea;  in 
gratitude  thereof,  Herod  sacrificed  uj)on  the  Capitol  to  the  Roman 
tutelar-idol  Jupiter.  In  returning,  however,  he  was  obliged  to  con- 
quer first  his  kingdom,  carrying  on  war  for  seven  years,  aided  by 
Roman  troops.  Jerusalem  was  besieged,  and  upon  a  Sabbath  it  was 
occupied.  The  Romans  entered  the  city  and  the  Temple,  cutting 
down  all  unsparingly  without  regard  to  age  or  sex,  and  even  the 
priests  at  the  sacrificial  altar  shared  the  same  fate.  Antigonus  w^as 
made  prisoner,  and  upon  Herod's  urgent  request  the  Roman  general 
led  him  to  the  stake,  an  ignominious  death,  opposed  to  law  and  cus- 
tom, and  causing,  even  among  the  Romans,  the  utmost  indignation. 
He  was  the  last  of  the  eight  princely  High-priests  belonging  to  the 
house  of  the  Asmoneans,  who  at  first,  for  twenty-six  years,  governed 
Judea  with  splendor  and  renown,  but  in  disgrace  and  misery  after- 
ward. Herod,  or  as  the  people  styled  him,  the  Idumaean  slave,  liad 
now  reached  the  goal  of  his  ambition,  and  his  opponents  had  to  feel 
his  vengeance.  By  crowds  the  followers  of  Antigonus  were  massacred, 
among  whom  were  foi-ty-five  families  of  the  highest  standing.  The 
Sanhedrim,  who,  twelve  years  before,  were  on  the  point  of  passing 
sentence  of  death  upon  him,  were  all  executed,  with  the  exception 
of  their  chiefs,  Sliammai  and  Abtalion,  who  had  been  opposed  to 
Antigonus.  All  the  property  of  those  who  were  condemned  he  con- 
fiscated for  his  treasury,  and  the  accumulated  Avealth  thus  obtained 
served  him  for  purchasing  the  favor  of  the  Roman  rulers,  who  alone 
were  capable  of  protecting  him  against  the  bitter  hatred  of  the  J  ewisli 
nation.  From  the  hostile  disposition  of  the  people,  Herod  never 
thought  his  throne  safe,  especially  as  long  as  any  one  of  the  Asmo- 
neans lived;  for,  in  spite  of  the  misery  which  latterly  they  had 
broiaght  upon  Judea,  the  nation,  nevertheless,  clung  to  them  with 
great  attachment.  Therefore,  like  a  bloodthirsty  tiger,  he  murdered 
every  member  of  this  unfortunate  famil}' ,  although  he  was  connected 


173  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

with  them  by  the  closest  ties;  inasmuch,  as  in  order  to  banish  all 
fear  of  Herod,  Hyrkanus  gave  him  his  grandchild,  the  ill-fated  Mari- 
amne,  in  marriage,  who,  on  account  of  her  virtue  and  her  beauty, 
became  celebrated  and  loved  in  Judea.  Herod,  in  an  unmerciful 
manner,  turned  away  his  wife  Doris,  and  wedded  Mariamne. 

Mariamne  had  a  brother,  the  High-priest  Aristobulus  III.,  a  youth 
of  eighteen,  of  unsurjDassable  beauty,  and  the  idol  of  the  nation. 
This  young  man,  Herod  thought,  might  become  dangerous,  and 
therefore  he  strove  to  rid  himself  of  him;  but  it  was  impossible  for 
Herod  to  seize  oj^enly  this  virtuous  young  man,  and  therefore  he  had 
recourse  to  his  usual  cunning.  He  invited  Aristobulus  to  Jericho, 
which  was  his  favorite  residence.  After  an  entertainment,  which  he 
had  given  in  his  honor,  the  king  walked  with  his  brother-in-law  about 
the  extensive  grounds,  and,  as  if  by  chance,  they  came  all  at  once 
uj)on  a  large  lake,  in  which  several  youths  belonging  to  the  court 
were  bathing.  Herod  prevailed  upon  Aristobulus  to  share  in  the 
pleasure ;  but  scarcely  had  he  jDlunged  into  the  water,  when  those 
who  were  bathing  seized  him,  and  pretending  to  sport,  held  him  so 
long  under  the  water  that  he  died.  However  much  Herod  feigned 
to  mourn  his  loss,  ordering  a  splendid  funeral,  it  was  all  of  no  avail; 
for  there  was  not  the  least  doubt  that  he  had  previously  planned  the 
deed,  and  everybody  looked  upon  him  as  the  murderer.  But  who 
would  dare  to  make  such  an  assertion?  With  Aristobulus  died  the 
last  supjDort  of  the  house  of  the  Asmoneans. 

Now  came  the  turn  of  old  Hyrkanus,  to  whom  the  Parthians  had 
generously  granted  fi'eedom,  who  being  overloaded  with  honors  by 
the  Babylonian  Jews,  could  have  thus  easily  finished  his  troublesome 
life  in  peace  and  quietness.  But,  with  his  peculiar  dissimulation, 
Herod  invited  him  to  return  to  Jerusalem,  to  share  with  him  both 
throne  and  power,  and,  above  all,  to  receive  his  thanks  for  the  many 
favors  he  had  rendered  him.  In  vain  did  the  Babylonian  Jews  dis- 
suade the  credulous  Hyrkanus  from  departing.  He  felt  an  ardent 
desire  to  see  the  Temple  and  the  Holy  Land,  and  easily  went  into 
the  golden  trap  set  for  him.  Arrived  at  Jerusalem,  Herod  did  in- 
deed receive  him  in  a  friendly  manner,  calling  him  his  father,  and 
gave  him  a  place  of  honor  at  his  table,  and  in  the  council- chamber. 
Under  a  shallow  pretence  that  Hyrkanus  had  formerly  been  in  har- 
mony with  Malich,  the  assassin  of  Antipater,  he  summoned  him  be- 
fore an  arbitrarily  composed  court  of  law,  which  acted  cowardly 
enough  to  pass  sentence  of  death  upon  Hyrkanus. 

These  miu'ders  perpetrated  on  Mariamne's  brother  and  grandfather 
were  certainly  not  calculated  to  fill  her  heart  with  affection  toward 
Herod;  yet  this  virtuous  woman  Avould  have  borne  all  without  a 
single  word  of  reproach,  had  not  Herod,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  taken 
care  to  change  her  dove-like  meekness  into  the  most  bitter  hatred. 
Since  his  marriage  with  Mariamne,  he  was  twice  compelled  to  visit 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  173 

Rome,  in  order  to  show,  on  the  one  occasion,  that  he  had  no  hand 
in  the  death  of  Aristol)vilus,  and  on  the  other  to  seek  the  favor  of 
Octavius,  who  had  dethroned  Antonius,  Herod's  great  patron,  and  who 
now,  under  the  name  of  Augustus,  declared  himself  sole  monarch  of 
Rome.  On  both  occasions  he  knew  well  that  his  life  was  in  jeopardy, 
which  made  his  return  uncertain.  Therefore,  his  inhumanity  made 
him  each  time  give  the  order  to  one  of  his  accomplices,  that  as  soon 
as  the  news  of  his  death  became  known  Mariamne  should  be  assas- 
sinated, in  order  that  none  should  have  the  fortune  to  possess  her 
after  his  death.  Fortune  did  not  forsake  him  on  these  two  occasions, 
returning  each  time  in  safety,  and  being  even  furnished  with  still 
greater  power.  But  his  cruel  orders  had,  neyertheless,  been  betrayed 
to  Mariamne.  He  had  the  traitor  executed,  and  although  he  assured 
Mariamne  of  his  unaltered  affection,  it  proved  of  no  avail,  for  this 
noble  woman  treated  him  now  with  icy  coldness,  and  in  a  manner 
becoming  her  virtue  she  frankly  confessed  that  she  hated  him,  and 
charged  him  with  the  death  of  her  brother  and  grandfather.  Herod's 
wrath  on  hearing  these  words  knew  of  no  bounds,  and  his  cruel 
sister  Salome  made  use  of  his  rage  in  persuading  him  to  believe  that 
Mariamne  had  bribed  his  page  to  poison  him.  Hereupon  he  called 
a  special  court  of  justice,  and  he  himself,  with  the  utmost  vehemence, 
accused  her,  the  virtuous  descendant  of  the  Maccabees,  of  adultery 
and  conspiring  to  assassinate  him.  The  mercenary  judges  thought 
to  please  the  king,  and  condemned  her  to  death.  Thus  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  Judea's  women,  the  pride  of  the  whole  Jewish  nation,  was  led 
to  the  place  of  execution.     With  firm  resignation  she  met  her  fate. 

Yet  not  even  Mariamne's  death  eased  the  spirit  of  revenge  in 
Herod's  breast,  but  only  kindled  in  him  a  still  greater  rage.  He 
could  not  bear  the  thought  of  having  lost  her,  and  he  grew  sick  and 
delirious,  being  so  ill  at  his  palace  in  Samaria  that  his  physicians 
despaired  of  his  life.  This  opportunity  induced  his  mother-in-law, 
Alexandra,  to  try  whether  she  could  not  possess  herself  of  Jeru- 
salem and  remove  her  mortal  enemy.  The  mad  attempt  was  betrayed 
to  Herod,  and  Alexandra  paid  for  it  with  her  life.  She  was  the  last 
scion  of  the  Asmoneans,  and  died  after  beholding  her  father-in-law, 
Aristobulus  II.,  her  husband,  Alexander,  her  son,  Aristobulus  III.,  her 
father,  HyrkanusII.,  and  her  daughter,  Mariamne,  one  after  the  other, 
suifering  ignominious  deaths. 

Herod's  fondness  for  building  was  truly  remarkable,  through 
which  he  intended  partly  to  flatter  the  Romans,  and  partly  to  become 
celebrated  and  immortal  in  the  heathen  world,  for  as  to  the  Jewish 
nation  their  hatred  toward  him  was  ever  strong.  In  Jerusalem  and 
other  places,  he  introduced  the  Grecian  system,  in  order  to  establish 
gradually  idolatrous  customs  and  manners.  He  was  even  not  afraid 
to  build  upon  Judea's  consecrated  soil  several  temples  for  idol  wor- 
ship, in  order  that  these  follies  might  procure  for  him  the  admira- 


174  SCHOOL  AKD  PAM[LY  READER 

tion  of  foreig'n  nations,  while  he  impoverished  the  Jewish  people  to 
the  last  they  were  possessed  of,  in  order  to  carry  out  his  obnoxious 
plans.  This  fondness  for  building,  and  desire  to  gratify  the  Romans, 
induced  him  to  alter  the  old  Temple,  which  had  stood  five  hundred 
years — a  small  edifice,  and  built  in  antiquated  style.  The  represent- 
atives of  the  nation,  to  whom  he  communicated  his  resolution,  did 
not  trust  him,  feeling  afraid  that  he  w^ould  pull  down  the  old  Temple 
without  building  another  in  its  stead,  and  they  only  gave  their  con- 
sent after  all  the  necessary  materials  were  at  hand  for  commencing 
the  work.  The  interior  of  the  temi:)le  was  finished  in  a  year  and  a 
half,  but  the  exterior,  tlie  walls,  the  porches  and  colonnades  took  sev- 
eral years  for  their  completion.  Herod's  temple  was  considered  a  mag- 
nificent building,  admired  by  every  one  for  its  beau^tiful  architectural 
style;  but  Herod  had  j^laced  it  under  protection  of  the  Romans.  A 
golden  eagle — symbol  of  Roman  jjower — was  placed  over  the  princi- 
pal entrance,  causing  a  great  deal  of  vexation  among  the  Jewish 
patriots.  It  entirely  rested  with  the  Romans  to  decide  how  long  the 
Jewish  sanctuary  should  exist;  in  less  than  a  century  this  work  of 
splendor  was  turned  into  a  heap  of  rubbish  and  ashes. 

We  must  not  believe,  however,  that  Herod  buried  his  old  life  under 
the  ruins  of  the  old  temple,  and  commenced  a  new  life  with  the  new 
one ;  he  remained  the  same  character  to  the  very  last.  Mariamne 
had  borne  him  two  sons,  Alexander  and  Aristobulus,  who  had  been 
brought  uj)  in  Rome,  and  were  already  married.  Salome  was  their 
bitter  enemy,  as  she  had  been  Mariamne's,  while  the  peoj)le  loved 
these  Asmoneans  for  their  mother's  sake.  This  circumstance  Salome 
made  use  of,  and  together  with  Antipatei',  son  of  the  expelled  Doris, 
tried  to  make  the  suspicious  king  believe  that  Mariamne's  sons  hated 
their  father  on  account  of  their  mother's  death,  and  that  they  were 
striving  to  slay  him  and  seize  his  crown.  Upon  this  false  accusation 
Herod  had  them  both  executed.  The  old  sinner,  who  was  now  nearly 
seventy  years  of  age,  was  at  last  stretched  upon  a  bed  of  illness, 
being  attacked  by  a  painful  and  loathsome  disease,  from  which  his  suf- 
ferings were  so  great  that  he  was  on  the  point  of  taking  his  own  life. 
Yet  even  this  miserable  condition,  which  would  have  caused  any  one 
else  to  grow  better,  had  not  the  least  moral  efl'ect  on  him.  Upon  a 
false  rumor  of  his  death,  several  young  men  entered  the  temple 
court,  cutting  down  the  hated  eagle,  Herod  had  them  all  burned 
alive.  At  this  instance  the  sixth  High-j)riest  was  arbitrarily  in- 
stalled by  Herod. 

Antipater,  son  of  Doris,  was  a  prisoner  in  the  palace  of  Jericho, 
where  Herod  lay  ill,  and  was  convicted  of  having  prepared  poison  for 
his  father,  and  causing  the  innocent  death  of  his  brothers.  Augustus 
left  it  to  Herod  to  say  whether  he  shovdd  be  executed  or  not,  and 
five  days  before  Herod  breathed  his  last  he  had  him  put  to  death. 
Although  Antipater  was  deserving  of  a  tenfold  death,  his  execution 


FOR  TflE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


175 


eansed,  nevertheless,  oroat  iudionatioii,  that  a  father  shouhl  pro- 
nounce sentence  of  death  upon  his  third  son.  Herod's  Last  tiioiii-lit 
was  occupied  with  further  orders  for  assassinations,  for  he  invited  a 
number  of  Judea's  most  eminent  men  to  come  to  Jericho,  where  he 
had  them  confined  in  a  race-course,  and  put  under  a  stron^'  <;uard, 
while  he  instructed  his  sister  Salome  that,  after  his  death,  his  body- 
guard should  cut  them  down,  in  order,  as  he  said,  that  the  whole 
nation  and  every  family  may  have  to  lament  the  loss  of  those  near 
and  dear  to  them,  and  thus  be  prevented  from  rejoicing  over  his 
demise. 

From  the  first  moment  of  his  public  career,  until  he  breathed  his 
last,  he  was  possessed  of  evil  and  bloody  thoughts.  Herod  was  in 
his  seventieth  year  when  he  died,  thirty-four  years  after  dethroning 
the  last  ruler  of  the  Asmoneans,  and  in  the  thirtj'-seventh  year  of 
his  reign.  His  corpse  was  taken  to  Herodium  with  great  jDomp, 
being  followed  by  the  so-called  Augustean  troop,  and  the  Thracian, 
Germanic,  and  Gallic  body-guards.  But  the  Jewish  nation  kept  that 
very  day  as  a  half-holiday.  Dr.  Jost. 


Herod — An  Idumrean  by  birth,  a  sect  which 
uniler  Jochauan  Hyrkanos  became  Jews. 
Gallic — Pertaining  to  Gaul  or  France. 
Demon — A  spirit;  generally  an  evil  spirit. 


Capitol— Temple  of  Jupiter  in  Rome;  the 
Senate-house. 

Tutelar— Having  the  charge  or  guardian- 
ship of  a  person  or  thing. 


HEROD'S  LAMENT  FOR  MARIAMNE. 


On,  Mariamne!  now  for  thee 

The  heart  for  which   thou   bled'st  is 
bleeding; 
Revenge  is  lost  in  agony,    . 

And  with  remorse  to  rage  sneoeeding. 
Oh,  Mariamne!  where  art  thou? 

Thou  canst  not  hear  my  bitter  plead- 
ing:; 
Ah,  couldst  thou — thou  wouldst  pardon 
now, 
Though  Heaven  were  to  ray  prayer 
unheeding. 

And  is  she  dead  ? — and  did  they  dare 
Obey  my  frenzy's  jealous  raving  ? 

My  wrath  but  doom'd  my  own  despnir; 
The  sword  that  smote  her's  o'er  me 
waving. 


But  thou  art  cold,  my  murder'd  love; 

And  this  dark  heart  is  vainly  crav- 
ing 
For  her  who  scars  alone  above. 

And  leaves  my  soul  unworthy  saving. 

She's  gone,  who  shared  my  diadem; 

She  sunk  with  her  my  joys  entomb- 
ing; 
1  swept  that  flower  from  Judah's  stem. 

Whose   leaves    for   me    alone    were 
blooming. 
And  mine's  the  guilt  and-mine  the  hell. 

This  bosom's  desolation  dooming; 
And  I  have  earn'd  those  tortures  well, 

Which    unconsumed   are    still    con- 


suming . 


Byron. 


HILLEL  AND  SHAMMAI. 

[40  B.] 
Whilst  Herod  on  his  throne  was  trying  hard  to  annihilate  Juda- 
ism, two  men,  in  the  seclusion  of    scholastic  life,  were  effectively 
engaged  in  preserving  it,  of  which  the  Idumsean  tyrant  had  not  the 


176  SCEOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

least  foreboJing-.  Ilillel,  who  could  trace  liis  ancestry,  wliicli  liad 
remained  in  Babylon  after  the  exile,  as  far  back  as  David,  came  to 
Jerusalem  in  order  to  study  law,  and  became  the  most  ardent  dis- 
ciple of  Shemajah  and  Abtalion.  He  at  the  same  time  had  to  strug- 
gle with  the  most  abject  poverty,  and  from  the  pittance  he  earned 
as  day-laborer  half  went  to  pa}^  for  admission  to  the  academy.  One 
day — it  was  on  the  eve  of  Sabbath  and  in  the  midst  of  winter — he 
could  not  find  work,  and  having  no  means  he  was  unable  to  pay  the 
usual  fee,  and  was  therefore  refused  admission  to  the  academy.  In 
order,  however,  not  to  miss  the  discourse,  he  climbed  from  outside 
one  of  the  windows  of  the  school-room  and  there  placed  himself  to 
listen  to  the  instruction.  Here  the  cold  soon  benumbed  him.  and 
during  the  night  a  heavy  snow-storm  covered  him  with  snow  three 
feet  deep.  The  two  teachers  entered  the  hall  in  the  morning  and 
Shemajah  said:  "Brother  Abtalion,  it  is  here  very  dark  and  the 
heavens  seem  to  be  cloudy."  But  they  soon  perceived  a  human 
being  sitting  in  one  of  the  windows  and  exclaimed  :  "  Indeed,  he 
deserves  that,  on  his  account,  one  may  venture  to  violate  the  Sab- 
bath!" Whereupon  they  took  him  down,  placed  him  before  the 
fire,  and  tried  every  expedient  to  restore  him  to  life.  The  stranger, 
until  now  but  little  known,  was  soon  to  become  one  of  the  foremost 
in  tlieii"  ranks.  Shemajah  and  Abtalion  were  no  more.  By  the 
executioner's  axe  of  Herod  many  hundreds  of  learned  men  breathed 
their  last  or  were  lightened  away  into  strange  countries.  And  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  eve  of  Passover  happened  on  a  Sabbath,  owing 
to  which  the  question  arose  whether  the  Pesach-ofi"ering  abolishes 
the  order  of  the  Sabbath  or  not.  Hundreds  of  thousands  had  come 
to  Jerusalem  for  the  festival,  but  the  Synhedrion  were  at  a  loss  to 
solve  this  j)ungent  question  of  the  day.  Then  HiUel  arose  and 
decided  the  question  in  the  affirmative,  proving  the  correctness  of 
his  decision  not  only  by  certain  precepts  according  to  the  interpre- 
tation of  Holy  Writ,  but  also  by  appealing  to  the  traditions  of  his 
teachers,  Shemajah  and  Abtalion.  In  consequence  of  this  occurrence 
Hillel  was  chosen  president  of  the  Synhedrion. 

HiUel,  far  from  being  proud  of  the  high  dignity  thus  conferred 
upon  him,  felt  rather  dissatisfied  on  account  of  it,  and  began  to  re- 
proach the  members  of  the  Sjoihediion :  "  What  could  have  ca,used 
the  appointment  of  an  insignificant  Babylonian  to  the  presidency  of 
the  Synhedrion  but  your  inactivity  in  not  paying  proper  attention 
to  the  instructions  of  Shemajah  and  Abtalion?"  Besides  Hillel, 
Shammai's  efficacy  must  also  be  mentioned.  He  was  just  the  coun- 
terpart of  HiUel,  and  yet  a  necessary  complement  to  the  same. 
Hillel's  pi'edominant  character  consisted  principally  in  that  cordial, 
dove-like  meekness  which  never  permitted  the  ebulition  of  ill  tem- 
per, even  for  a  moment,  to  gain  the  mastery  over  his  mind;  that 
thoughtful  philanthropy  which  arises  from  one's  own  humility  and 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


IT, 


the  favorable  judgment  of  others,  and  lastly  that  calmness  which 
emanates  from  the  deepest  confidence  in  God,  and  in  tlie  face  of 
approaching  misfortune  always  remains  steadfast.  In  later  times 
no  more  perfect  ideal  of  charitableness  and  modesty  was  ever  known 
than  the  Babylonian  Hillel. 

His  liberality  knew  no  bounds,  showing  the  utmost  delicacy  not 
to  shame  the  receiver,  but  to  respect  him  rather,  according  to  his 
station  in  life.  He  esteemed  the  doctrine  of  Judaism  so  highly  that 
he  felt  excited  when  he  saw  the  same  misused  in  becoming  the 
means  for  satisfying  ambition  and  greediness  of  fame.  The  same 
as  Hillel  was,  on  account  of  his  great  viiiue,  taken  as  ideal  by  those 
who  came  after  him,  in  the  same  manner  he  was  considered  next  to 
Ezra  the  spiritual  restorer  of  the  Jewish  doctrine,  who  saved  it  from 
the  decaying  condition  it  was  placed  in.  The  attachment  which  the 
people  showed  him  extended  even  to  his  descendants;  the  presidency 
of  the  Synhedrion  was  ever  since  hereditary  in  his  house,  and  it  has 
continued  to  maintain  this  dignity  during  four  centuries. 

Of  Shammai's  biography  but  little  is  known.  He  was  for  certain 
a  Palestinean,  and  therefore  took  a  sincere  interest  in  all  political 
and  religious  complications  of  his  native  country.  His  religious 
views  Avere  very  rigorous,  but  he  was  nevertheless  of  no  morose, 
misanthropic  temper,  urging  rather  to  meet  everybody  in  a  friendly 
manner,  as  showTi  by  the  motto  preserved  of  him:  "Make  your 
occupation  with  the  law  your  chief  object,  speak  little,  but  perform 
much,  and  receive  every  one  with  a  friendly  air," 

Each  of  these  two  members  of  the  Synhedrion,  Hillel  and  Sham- 
mai,  formed  schools  of  their  own  (Bet- Hillel,  Bet-Shammai),  both  of 
w^hich  proved  of  great  influence  and  importance. 
Dr.  Jost. 


Synhedrion— The  highest  council  at  Jerusa- 
1pm,  couiposi'd  of  seventy  Elders  ami  presided 
over  by  tUe  lligh-iiriests. 

Complement  -Perfection . 

Ebulii'ion— Act  of  boiling  up  with  heat. 


Philanthropy— Love  of  mankind;  good 
nature. 

Bet-Hillel,  (Hebrew) — Signifying  houfe  of 
Hillel. 


THE  AIM. 


I  QUESTIONED  a  leaf   as  it  rustled  past. 
Borne  nlong  with  the  autumn's  blast, 
its  life  full  spent  and   unknown  to 
fuine  : 
Whither  goest  thou,  fluttering  leaf? 
Can'st  thou  tell  in  thy  voyage  so  brief, 
This  life's  aim? 

I  measured  a  rainbow's  fleeting  span — 
Its  arch  from  heaven  down  to  man. 
Transient  beauties  ever  the  same, 

PART  n. — 12 


And  sought  to  seek  in  the  magical  bow, 
Ei'e  it  lost  its  fervor  and  glow, 

This  life's  aim. 

I  gazed  in  the  eyes  of  a  matchless  face, 
Divinely  dowered  with  every  grace 

That  might  a  heart  of  stone  inflame  ! 
Pray  tell  me  with  thy  art  of  speech, 
What  I  would  learn  if   thou  wouldst 
teach — 

This  life's  aim? 


178 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


I  looked  at  a  I'usliing  silver  stream, 
Whose  breast  was  decked  with,  a  dia- 
mond gleam 
That  ever  went  and  ever  came, 
And  questioned  it — as  dashing  through 
The  flovv'ry  mead  it  onward  flew — 
This  life's  aim  ? 

A  thought  I  phieked  from  a  busy  brain — 
A  note  I  caught  from  a  sweet  refrain — 
A  laurel  leaf  from  a  wreath  of  fame — 
A  broken  sod  from  a  nameless  grave 


I  asked  (but  no  response  they  gave)- 
To  this  life's  aim. 


Within  the  shrine  of  the  silent  soul, 
Lies  the  Aim  of  Life  we  all  control — 

The  noh'er  inslbicls  (if  the  man. 
That  rise  like  stars  to  shed  their  light 
On  travelers  weary  with  their  night — 

To  lavish  all  the  good  they  can  ! 

Jacob  G.  Ascher. 


THE  SIEGE  OF  JOTAPATA. 

[69  A.] 


Surely  if  the  people  of  Israel  stood  in  need  of  any  glorification, 
then  the  history  of  their  decline  as  an  independent  nation  would  de- 
monstrate it  beyond  measure.  In  the  eventful  history  of  this  de- 
cline, the  siege  of  Jotapata  stands  prominently  as  an  incident  which 
should  never  be  allowed  to  be  forgotten.  This  terrible  occurrence 
furnishes  many  instances  of  what  a  handful  of  spirited  men  could  ac- 
complish for  religion  and  fatherland,  even  against  the  bravery  and 
pride  of  a  well-disciplined  army  accustomed  to  war;  the  issue  between 
both  could  only  be  determined,  as  often  is  the  case,  by  way  of 
treachery.  Let  lis  then  tarry  for  a  moment  on  this  blood-saturated 
ground — we  are  standing  upon  the  graves  of  the  bravest  of  our  an- 
cestors— the  second  Temple  was  yet  on  Moriah's  height.  Thirteen 
Roman  procurators  brought  ujion  the  Jews  in  Palestine  unspeak- 
able oppression  ever  since  the  animosities  of  the  Asmoneans  in  self- 
destroying  manner  had  called  the  enemy  to  the  country ;  and  thus 
the  joatience  of  the  people  had  become  entirely  exhausted,  owing  to 
impoverishment,  mockery,  and  the  withdrawal  of  all  rights  and 
jDrivileges.  The  invaders  installed  by  force  the  god  of  the  insane 
Roman  emperor,  together  with  his  worshi]^  in  the  Temj^le  at  Jerusa- 
lem, the  sacred  place  of  devotion  of  the  One  Incorporeal  God,  in- 
troducing the  same  also  in  every  house  of  prayer  belonging  to  the 
Jews,  and  were  even  impudent  enough  to  set  up  the  statues  of  the 
emperor  on  the  altars.  On  this,  the  rage  of  the  Jewish  people 
burst  forth,  and  under  the  guidance  of  able  leaders  they  succeeded 
in  driving  the  Romans  with  great  loss  fi-om  the  country.  The 
governor  fi-om  Syria,  Cestius  Gallus,  who  hastened  with  a  strong 
army  to  Jerusalem,  was  also  obliged  to  withdraw  under  disgraceful 
circumstances,  and  more  than  6,000  Romans  were  slain.  On  the 
8th  of  Marchesvan,  in  the  year  GO  (according  to  the  usual  chro- 
nology), not  a  single  Roman  could  be  found  in  Judea  proper. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  179 

The  emperor,  who  was  traveling  in  Greece,  commanded  at  once 
his  most  tried  general,  Vesjjasian,  to  subdue  the  Jews.  He  led  into 
Syria  above  <iU,OOU  of  the  bravest  and  choicest  troops.  His  well- 
laid  scheme  was  to  conquer  first  the  Jewish  provinces,  then  to  in- 
vest Jerusalem  in  order  to  cut  off  all  resoui'ces,  and  thus  forcing  the 
place  to  surrender,  to  destroy  it  ultimately.  However,  it  took  three 
campaigns  (G7,  68  and  6'J)  to  accomplish  his  plan,  and  only  in  the 
fourth  year  did  his  son  Titus  succeed  in  reaching  Jerusalem. 

The  northwest  province  of  GaHlee  was  singled  out  to  become  his 
first  spoil,  and  his  success  was  facilitated  by  the  Jewish  general  of  that 
l^rovince,  who  was  wavering  between  the  Jews  and  the  Eomans.  It 
was  the  same  Josephus  who  became  afterward  the  Jewish  historian, 
but  also  the  partisan  of  the  imperial  Flavian .  Sejiphoris  fell,  we  will 
merely  say  by  the  neglect  of  Josej)hus,  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans. 
Vespasian  marched  from  Ptolemea  (that  is,  A  ceo,  now  Jean  D'Acre) 
with  the  flower  of  his  army,  being  well  supplied  .with  war  materials, 
and  a  number  of  mules  and  horses,  carrying  artillery  and  siege 
trains.  On  account  of  the  undetermined  policy  of  Josephus,  there 
was  no  Jewish  army  present  in  Galilee  to  defend  this  province. 
Those  who  did  not  wish  to  show  resistance  to  the  Romans  would 
not  fight.  Thvis  only  a  few  towns  remained  which  held  out  against 
the  Romans.  The  town  of  Gabara  also  fell  into  their  hands,  all 
able-bodied  men  having  left  for  more  important  places,  while  those 
who  stayed  behind  were  put  to  the  sword,  and  the  towns  and 
villages  were  laid  in  ashes. 

Vespasian  now  turned  against  the  mountain  fortress  Jotapata. 
Jotapata  was  but  a  comparatively  small  town,  situated  on  a  rock, 
and  surrounded  by  very  deep  valleys.  On  the  north  side  only  the 
town  was  accessible,  being  built  here  upon  the  j)rojected  part  of  a 
hill,  which,  however,  was  well  secured  by  strong  redoubts  and 
towers.  The  town  being  surrounded  by  hills,  it  became  visible  only 
on  a  close  approach.  But  who  were  the  defenders  of  this  mountain 
fortress?  No  veterans,  no  well-trained  garrison,  no  tried  warriors; 
only  the  simple  citizens  of  the  place,  merely  reinforced  by  patriots 
who  had  escaped  from  the  provinces.  Already,  previous  to  this, 
Placidus  had  undertaken  an  expedition  against  Jotapata,  in  order 
to  surprise  the  place.  But  the  citizens  received  a  timely  warning, 
and  courageously  went  to  meet  the  Romans,  who  had  to  retreat  with 
great  loss.  From  the  smoky  ruins  of  Gabara  to  Jotapata  was  but 
two  hours'  distance,  jei  it  took  the  Roman  pioneers  four  days  to 
clear  away  the  many  obstacles  which  nature  and  cunning  had  fur- 
nished, before  the  roads  could  be  made  passable  for  the  army.  In 
the  meantime,  Josephus  had  gone  to  Jotapata.  It  was  in  the  first 
week  of  May  that  the  Romans  commenced  the  siege,  establishing 
their  camp  upon  a  hill  near  Jotapata,  and  investing  the  entire  town 
by  a  double  line  of  troops.     Promptly  on  the  next  day,  Vespasian 


180  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

attacked  the  place  in  great  force,  but  the  Jews  defended  themselves 
with  energy,  having  six  hundred  wounded  and  seventeen  killed.  The 
attack  was  repeated  by  the  Romans  during  the  next  five  days  with- 
out intermission,  and  the  sallies  of  the  Jews  brought  "on  heavy  fight- 
ing outside  of  the  walls,  the  besieged  never  feeling  dejected  or 
weary  in  the  least  degree.  On  the  one  side  was  desj^eration,  on  the 
other  shame,  and  both  parties  showed  the  greatest  coolness  and 
utmost  valor.  If  then  the  Parthian  king,  Vologeses,  the  most 
powerful  sovereign  and  enemy  of  the  Romans  in  Asia,  had  crossed 
the  Euphrates,  and  if  the  Jews,  instead  of  being  divided  into  factions, 
could  have  formed  a  proper  regular  army,  and  thus  surprised  the 
Roman  troops  in  the  defiles  of  Jotapata,  what  a  turning  point  in  the 
history  of  mankind ! 

It  was  not  to  be.  The  besieged  of  Jotapata  were  abandoned  to 
their  fate.  As  all  the  assaults  made  upon  the  town  proved  fruitless, 
Vespasian  resolved  upon  throwing  up  ramparts,  from  which  the  town 
could  be  better  bombarded.  Enormous  quantities  of  wood  and 
stones  were  procured,  a  kind  of  basket-work  was  stretched  over 
palisades,  in  order  to  ward  oft"  the  arrows  thrown  constantly  from  the 
city  walls;  also  a  dike  was  erected,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 
catapults  were  set  up.  The  cataj^ults  threw  lances  and  stones  of 
heavy  weight,  and  the  ballisters  swarms  of  darts  as  well  as  fire.  The 
Jews  were  obliged  to  leave  the  walls,  but  they  continually  made 
sallies,  tore  away  the  covering  which  sheltered  the  Romans,  killed 
the  workmen,  destroying  partly  the  dike,  and  setting  fire  to  the 
posts  which  held  the  iDasket-work.  At  length  Josephus  had  the  city 
wall  raised  in  proportion  to  the  dike  opi)osite,  which  continually 
grew  larger.  lie  ordered  hedge  poles  to  be  rammed  into  the  city 
wall,  over  which  he  extended  the  hides  of  fresh  stripped  oxen,  which 
slackened  in  receiving  the  stones  thrown,  and  also  protected  the 
Jews  from  the  fire.  Behind  these  the  workmen  felt  more  secure, 
and  were  thus  enabled  to  work  day  and  night  in  raising  the  wall 
till  it  reached  a  height  of  forty  feet.  This  accomplished,  they  were 
now  by  far  safer,  and  felt  encouraged  to  attempt  fresh  sallies,  in 
which  they  always  proved  successful,  destroying  the  enemy's  w^orks, 
who  on  all  occasions  sustained  great  loss.  Vespasian  soon  perceived 
that  all  his  attacks,  however  well  planned,  must  prove  of  no  avail, 
and  that  only  a  regular  state  of  siege,  to  bring  on  famine,  would  force 
the  Y>\iice  to  surrender.  He  then  ordered  that  the  passes  leading 
into  the  town  should  be  occupied,  and  that  all  its  communication 
should  be  cut  off.  However,  the  inhabitants  of  Jotapata  had  a  plenti- 
ful su^pply  of  provisions,  but  water  was  scarce.  There  was  no  well 
in  the  town,  and  they  had  to  depend  upon  rain  water,  which  was  not 
plentiful  at  the  season  when  the  siege  took  place ;  therefore  the  water 
was  parcelled  out  in  rations,  which  generally  caused  the  longing  for  it 
to  be  the  stronger.     The  Romans  could  perceive  the  place  where  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  181 

water  was  served  out,  and  thus  killed  many  a  one  in  fetcliing  it,  as 
their  cataj)ults  reached  as  far  as  that  spot.  But  in  order  to  blast  the 
hopes  which  Vespasian  enjoyed  in  thinking-  that,  owing  to  the  want 
of  water,  the  place  would  soon  have  to  surrender,  the  Jotapateans 
hung-  large  pieces  of  cloth  over  the  walls,  which  were  so  wet  that  the 
water  dripi^ed  down  in  large  quantities.  Vespasian  then  took  to 
arms  again,  which  made  the  Jews  rather  glad,  inasnuich  as  they  pre- 
ferred to  die  in  battle  rather  than  from  hunger  and  thirst.  They  even 
became  the  attacking  party,  after  Josephus  attempted  to  escape  with 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  inhabitants  of  the  place,  which,  how- 
ever, was  frustrated  by  the  people. 

The  Jews  fought  desperately,  and  in  their  sallies  nothing  could 
withstand  their  boldness,  which  compelled  Vespasian  to  withdraw 
his  heavy  troops,  putting  in  their  place  the  Arabian  archers,  the 
Syrian  slingers  and  stone  casters,  and  all  the  heavy  artillery.  Indeed, 
for  a  time  Vespasian  considered  himself  the  besieged  •  instead  of 
the  besieger.  In  the  meanwhile  the  Eomans  had  advanced  the  dike 
close  to  the  city  wall,  and  now  the  "  ram  "  was  to  be  made  use  of. 
This  was  an  enormous  beam,  the  size  of  a  ship-mast,  being  at  one 
end  overcast  with  heavy  iron  in  the  shape  of  a  ram's  head,  and  in  the 
middle  were  attached  strong  ropes  like  a  beam-scale  on  another  large 
crossbeam,  which  rested  upon  strong  posts.  A  number  of  workmen 
drew  the  ram  backward,  and  then,  with  united  strength,  thrust  it 
again  forward,  which  caused  the  ram's  head  to  be  driven  into  the 
wall.  No  tower,  no  wall,  could  resist  the  constant  attacks  of  this 
machine ;  and  then  the  catapults  and  baUisters  moved  forward  together 
with  the  archers  and  slingers,  clearing  the  city  wall  of  its  defenders. 
Then  the  scaffolding  of  the  ram  was  brought  thither,  and  at  the  first 
shock  the  waU  quaked,  causing  a  cry  of  lamentation  in  the  city. 

II. 

Josephus,  not  in  the  least  alarmed,  ordered  that  large  bags  filled 
with  chaff  be  let  down  the  walls  where  the  ram  was  striking;  and  no 
sooner  did,  the  ram  begin  to  play,  than  the  bags  were  placed  fi'om 
the  breastworks  against  the  thrusts  of  the  ram,  which  caused  them 
to  rebound  without  doing  the  least  injury.  However,  the  Komans 
found  out  a  remedy  in  making  for  themselves  long  j^ikes  wherewith 
they  cut  off  the  bags;  whereupon,  the  new  wall,  from  the  many 
thrusts  made  upon  it,  began  to  give  way,  and  the  besieged  had  to 
renew  their  exertions.  They  then  furnished  themselves  with  dry 
wood  and  firebrands,  and  thus  attempted  another  sally.  But  j^re- 
vious  to  this  one  of  the  Jewish  combatants  executed  a  miracle  of  heroic 
bravery.  His  name  was  Eleazar,  son  of  Samaeas  from  Saab,  in  Galilee. 
He  placed  himself  upon  the  wall,  and,  taking  an  enormously  large 
stone,  threw  the  same  with  such  precision  and  power  down  the  breast- 
work that  it  hit  the  machine,  and  entirely  demolished  the  ram's  head. 


182  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

But  not  yet  satisfied  with  liis  achievement,  he  jumped  down  the  wall, 
and  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy  he  took  the  ram's  head,  and  carried 
it  to  the  wall.  Being  unprotected,  and  without  armor,  he  was 
pierced  by  five  arrows  at  the  same  time;  yet,  unconcerned  about  his 
wounds,  he  mounted  the  waD  again,  and  there  placing  himself  proiidly 
before  the  enemy,  held  up  the  ram's  head  for  every  one  to  behold, 
causing  a  cry  of  admiration  in  both  armies,  lasting  just  long  enough 
to  see  this  noble  patriot  falling  dead  fi'om  the  w^all,  still  clinging  to 
his  trophy.  Now,  without  a  moment's  loss,  Josej)hus  sallied  forth 
with  his  troops,  carrying  the  firebrands,  and  led  by  two  brothers, 
Metiras  and  Philip,  who  made  a  dash  against  the  Tenth  Legion  with 
such  imj^etuosity  that  they  broke  their  lines,  and  entirely  routed 
them.  Machines,  j)alisades,  outworks,  utensils  —  everything  was 
burnt,  and  all  the  redoubts  destroyed. 

The  same  evening,  Vespasian  himself  was  wounded  in  his  leg  by 
one  of  the  Jewish  archers,  which  caused  great  consternation  among 
the  Bomans;  but  the  general  tried  to  svippresshis  sufferings  by  show- 
ing himself  the  next  morning  to  the  army  and  encouraging  them  to 
fight  and  avenge  their  defeat.  The  Bomans  then  commenced  to  storm 
the  place  with  "such  violence  that  the  besieged  considered  this  assault 
far  more  dangerous  than  the  j)revious  ones.  The  Bomans  kej)t  up 
the  storming  of  the  place  the  whole  night,  and  with  such  success, 
too,  that  the  besieged  were  obliged  to  hold  firebrands  in  order  to 
defend  themselves  and  to  take  proper  aim,  as  the  enemy  almost  re- 
mained invisible  to  them.  The  power  of  the  catapults  and  scor])ions 
was  so  great  that  several  persons  were  pierced  at  the  same  time, 
while  the  mass  of  stones  cast  into  the  place  destroyed  the  breastwork, 
and  dashed  the  towers  to  pieces.  To  be  able  to  judge  of  the  effect 
of  this  artillery,  it  is  only  necessary  to  remark  that  a  warrior  standing 
close  to  JosejDhus  had  his  head  torn  off  by  a  sling-stone,  and  the 
head  was  thrown  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  It  was  a  terrible 
outroar,  to  which  were  added  the  dull  sounds  of  the  numberless 
corpses  of  combatants  rolling  down  the  wall,  the  heartrending  cry 
of  the  women,  together  with  the  groaning  of  the  wounded  and 
dying.  The  Jews  fought  with  lion-like  courage,  the  blood  flowing  in 
streams  fi-om  the  wall,  which  could  now  be  reached  by  heaps  of  dead 
bodies.  Everywhere  the  Jews  stood  out;  not  a  single  one  left  the 
wall,  and  no  sooner  did  the  number  of  combatants  diminish,  than  the 
gajis  were  filled  uj)  again.  It  was  impossible  for  the  Bomans  to  hold 
out  against  such  bravery,  and  although  the  wall  had  given  way  during 
the  night,  the  besieged  had  already  thrown  up  fresh  redoubts.  1  he 
night  passed,  and  Jotapata  was  still  unconquered.  The  next  morn- 
ing, Vespasian  was  obliged  to  give  his  soldiers  some  rest,  and  then 
he  again  led  them  to  the  assault.  In  Avell  arranged  order,  they  ad- 
vanced to  that  ]3art  of  the  wall  which  was  already  destroj^ed,  and  at 
the  sound  of  the  >  trumpeters  of  all  the  legions,  the  army  raised  a 


FOR  TUB  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  183 

horrible  battle-cry,  and  commenced  the  attack  with  such  violence 
that  the  sky  darkened  from  the  arrows  and  stones  thrown  on  all 
sides.  But  the  Jews  continued  to  fight  bravely,  cutting  down  all 
who  stood  in  their  way.  Yet  even  the  most  splendid  deeds  of  bravery 
could  not  prevent  their  becoming  fatigued  in  the  struggle,  for  while 
the  Romans  continually  brought  fresh  troops  to  bear  against  them, 
they  had  now  but  a  small  number  to  depend  upon.  Vespasian  then 
formed  his  men  into  close  cokimns,  and  protecting  themselves  by  their 
shields  fi-om  above,  they  advanced  in  a  body  close  to  the  wall.  Under 
these  fearful  circumstances,  Josej)hus  all  at  once  ordered  that  seething 
hot  oil  should  be  poured  ujjon  the  columns  of  the  Romans.  It  did  not 
take  long  to  supply  the  oil,  which  had  been  kept  ready,  and  which 
easily  became  heated.  It  was  poured  upon  the  soldiers  from  the 
wall.  The  effect  was  terrible;  the  columns  were  soon  broken,  and 
under  awful  pain  they  rolled  down  the  wall.  But  this  only  made  the 
Romans  more  enraged ;  they  cleared  the  roads  of  their  suffering  com- 
rades, and  made  another  advance.  Whereupon  the  Jews  cast  boiled 
Grecian  hay  uj)on  the  boards  of  the  storming  bridges,  which  caused 
the  storming  parties  to  slip  and  to  fall,  and  those  who  could  not  keep 
on  their  legs  the  Jews  easily  cut  down.  Thus  the  combat  lasted  till 
evening,  and,  although  it  was  a  fearful  day  for  the  Jews,  it  ended  never- 
theless gloriously,  for  the  Romans  had  to  retreat  under  heavy  loss. 
This  battle  happened  on  the  20th  of  June,  and  had  caused  the  ranks 
of  the  Romans  to  become  much  reduced.  After  this,  the  fighting  be- 
came insignificant,  the  Romans  being  principally  engaged  in  raising 
the  rampart, which  at  length  exceeded  the  wall.  They  also  erected  some 
towers  fifty  feet  high,  which  were  covered  with  iron,  and  from  which 
they  could  dislodge  the  combatants  who  defended  the  wall.  Thus 
forty -seven  days  had  been  spent  in  this  memorable  siege;  a  solitary 
mountain  fortress  occupied  by  unpracticed  citizens,  being  bravely  de- 
fended and  holding  out  against  an  army  of  60,000  of  the  bravest  and 
best  warriors  of  Rome.  The  spirit  with  which  the  besieged  were  ani- 
mated is  proved  by  the  fact  that  one  of  the  Jewish  prisoners  from  Jota- 
pata  defied  all  the  torments  of  the  rack,  and  smilingly  met  his  death, 
without  betraying  in  the  least  how  matters  stood  in  the  fortress. 
Nevertheless  Jotaj)ata's  last  hour  had  struck.  A  deserter  went  to  the 
Roman  general,  "and  offered  himself  as  a  guide  to  bring  him  into  the 
town  at  a  time  when  he  would  meet  with  the  least  resistance.  Small 
was  the  number,  and  weak  the  strength  of  the  besieged.  A  surprise 
after  the  last  night  watch  is  put  on  duty  would  be  the  safest  time, 
for  then  the  Jews  considered  themselves  out  of  danger,  and,  owing 
to  great  fatigue,  permit  themselves  some  rest.  Vespasian  resolved 
to  trust  the  traitor.  Exactly  at  the  appointed  hour,  the}^  quietly 
approached  the  wall.  Titus,  with  the  Fifteenth  Legion,  entered 
the  place  first,  killed  the  guards,  and  then  took  possession  of  the 
citadel.     The  Romans  stood  already  in  the  midst  of  the  town,  and 


184 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


the  invaded  had  not  yet  the  least  presentiment  of  danger.  The 
Komans  knew  of  no  mercy,  of  no  forbearance.  The  jieople  at  length 
awoke,  and  in  the  confusion  which  ensued  they  were  murdered  with- 
out being  able  to  offer  any  resistance,  while  many  were  thrown  down 
the  declivity  to  prevent  them  from  defending  themselves.  Many  of 
these  braA^e  men  preferred  to  die  by  their  own  hands.  The  Romans 
spared  no  one,  and  during  several  days  they  searched  every  hiding 
l^lace  and  every  sj^ot  in  the  subterranean  j)assages  and  caves,  slaying 
every  one  they  could  find  except  women  with  their  babes,  to  whom 
they  showed  some  mercy.  Not  less  than  40,000  lost  their  Hves  in 
the  siege  and  by  the  conquests,  while  only  1,200  prisoners  were  made. 
Vespasian  ordered  the  town  to  be  razed.  Thus  fell  Jotapata  on  the 
new  moon  of  July  and  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Nero's  reign. 

But  the  tragedy  was  not  yet  ended.  In  the  confusion  which  took 
place  at  the  occupation,  Josephus  stole  away  through  the  enemv,  and 
being  well  acquainted  with  the  locality,  he  made  his  escape  by  throw- 
ing himself  into  a  deep  cistern,  which  he  was  aware  led  to  a  large  cav- 
ern. Here  he  found  already  forty  others,  who  also  knew  this  hiding- 
place,  and  were  well  provided  with  provisions.  Josephus  was  ready 
to  leave  the  spot,  and  commence  negotiations  with  Vespasian.  But 
tlie  others  hindered  him  from  carrying  out  his  intentions.  "  Thou 
wishest  to  go,"  they  said  to  him,  "  because  thou  desirest  to  live,  and 
behold  daylight  as  a  slave.  Well,  if  thou  wilt  die  voluntarily,  then 
thou  endest  as  general;  but,  if  not,  thou  wilt  die  as  a  traitor!"  And 
with  their  swords  drawn  they  surrounded  him.  Josephus  tried  hard 
to  persuade  them  to  save  their  lives  by  submitting  to  the  Romans; 
but  all  proved  of  no  avail.  They  wished  to  die  as  heroes,  as  inde- 
pendent men,  and  as  they  could  not  do  so  now  in  battle,  after  once 
leaving  the  cave,  they  would  prefer  rather  to  die  by  their  own  hands. 
Josephus,  by  his  cunning,  hit  upon  a  fresh  plan,  and,  pretending  to 
submit  to  the  proposal,  said :  "Well,  if  you  think  that  death  is  the  only 
expedient,  then  the  casting  of  lots  shall  bring  us  to  our  decision, 
that  by  turns  one  may  die  at  the  hands  of  another."  They  agreed 
to  it.  The  lots  were  drawn,  and  accordingly,  with  the  exception  of 
Josephus,  only  one  of  the  forty  was  left,  all  ending  their  existence. 
The  one  left  Josephus  easily  persuaded  to  leave  the  cave,  and  throw 
himself  upon  Vespasian's  mercy.  They  left  the  cave,  and  Josephus 
fell  ixpon  his  knees  before  the  Roman  general,  prophesying  unto  him 
his  approaching  greatness.  Vespasian  considered  Josephus  service- 
able in  finishing  the  war,  and  gave  him  many  valuable  presents. 
The  ruins  of  Jotapata  have  long  since  changed  into  dust  and  disap- 
peared; but  the  heroism  of  its  defenders  will  ever  be  admired,  re- 
flecting its  golden  rays  upon  the  solitary  rocks.         L.  Philippson. 


Procuratok — Manager;  one  who  transacts 
affairs  for  another. 

Partisan — An  adherent  to  a  faction. 

"ALisADE— Poles  set  by  way  of  incloeur*  or 
defence. 


Catapult — An  engine  uBed  in  ancient  timee 
to  throw  stones. 
Ballister— A  cross-bow. 
Bam — An  instrument  to  batter  walls. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


185 


ISllAEL'S 

There   is   u   reiniiiisccut    glory,   shed- 

Its  liglit  upon  To-tlay, 
That  briji;htcns  life  as  with  a  benedic- 
tion, 
Sweet  peace  and  heavenly  sway; 
Upon  the  Sabbath's   sweet  and  festal 
beauty, 
There  gleams  a  jeweled  ray 

That,  in  the  centuries  past  of  wild  op- 
pression, 
Lighted  our  wandering  race 
Over  the  rugged    paths   of   faith  and 
duty. 
To  Freedom's  resting-place. 
The   Beautiful   and  True  was  Israel's 
guidance, 
'Neath  Thy  sustaining  grace  ! 


POWER. 

In  this  dear  land  of  conquering  peace 
and  plenty. 
We  share  the  Iionored  name 
Of  patriot,  statesman,  all  the  nation's 
glory, 
Time's  laurel-bringing  fame; 
Heart-linked   to   noblest  deed  and  as- 
piration 
Is  Israel's  world-wide  aim. 

And  still  the  reminiscent  light  is  beam- 
ing, 
The  Sabbath's  festal  glow; 
To    Truth's   triumphant    anthem-peal 
the  nations 
Respondent  onward  go; 
And  Israel  wields  the  sceptre,  love  em- 
powered 
For  Evil's  overthrow. 

Cora  Wilburn. 


THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  JERUSALEM. 

[70  A.] 

Jerusalem  was  never  before  so  populated,  so  beautiful  and  so  for- 
tified, than  at  the  time  when  it  was  doomed  to  destruction,  as  if 
the  Jewish  capital  should  verify  that  external  strength  and  outer 
splendor  are  of  no  avail.  The  circumference  of  Jerusalem  within 
the  wall  encircling  it  was  about  four  English  miles,  besides  the 
suburbs  at  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  such  as  Bethphage,  Betli- 
anian  and  others  which  also  belonged  to  it,  and  which  otiered  excel- 
lent accommodation  for  many  of  the  guests  who  visited  Jerusalem 
during  the  festivals.  In  regard  to  the  number  of  inhabitants  no 
certainty  exists,  but  it  is  supposed  that  it  amounted  to  at  least  600,- 
000  at  the  time  we  speak  of.  But  considering  also  the  mass  of  peo- 
ple who  continually  flocked  to  the  capital  from  abroad,  the  result, 
in  counting  the  inhabitants  once  on  a  Pesach  festival  by  means  of 
an  ofiering-jDiece,  which  every  society  j^articipating  in  a  Pesach- 
lamb  had  to  deliver,  clearly  proved  that  the  astonishing  number  of 
the  i^opulation  amounted  to  more  than  2,000,000  people.  The  for- 
tifications made  Jerusalem  appearingly  a  gloomy  looking  i:)lace,  but 
it  made  it  also  so  formidable  that  it  was  considered  ahnost  impreg- 
nable. Even  was  the  Temple  a  great  stronghold,  which  Ponipey 
and  Sosius  had  to  fight  hard  for.  AU  the  fortifications  were  well 
supplied  with  numberless  warriors,  inasmuch  as  Jerusalem,  since 
Galilee  had  been  disarmed,  became  the  meeting-place  of  aU  who, 
either  for  noble  or  ignoble  purposes,  expressed  their  desu'e  of  taking 
part  in  this  final  struggle.     The  love  for  fatherland,  the  impulse  for 


186  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

liberty,  ambition,  vengeance,  despair,  the  noblest  virtues,  the  basest 
passions,  all  had  sent  their  representatives — men  with  hearts  of  steel, 
of  whom  the  most  had  already  given  proofs  of  heroism  and  disre- 
gard for  death.  The  just  cause  for  which  the  Jews  fought,  the  great 
number  of  warriors  who  resolved  to  conquer  or  die,  the  excellent 
means  of  defence;  everything  seemed  to  point  to  a  successful  issue, 
especially  as  the  state  of  Rome  just  then  was  rather  endangered, 
several  legions  in  different  parts  of  the  empire  having  revolted,  and 
each  choosing  an  emperor  of  their  own. 

Had  these  death-defying  Jewish  combatants  acted  like  one  man 
in  attacking  Kome,  which  was  then  already  tottering — had  Agrippa 
taken  the  lead  in  the  movement  and  made  the  Asiatic  nations  his 
ally  against  Rome — who  knows  whether  not  at  that  time  the  Roman 
C0I0SSU.S  would  have  been  crushed,  or  whether  not,  at  least,  the  Ro- 
mans would  have  offered  favorable  conditions  to  the  Jews.  But 
instead  of  adopting  this  plan  they  extirpated  their  own  ranks  in 
mortal  jiarty  strife,  thus  giving  the  Romish  general  ample  time  to 
turn  first  almost  the  whole  country  into  a  wilderness,  so  that  Jeru- 
salem, being  now  isolated,  could  obtain  no  succor,  not  from  any 
part,  while  in  the  meantime  the  circumstances  in  Rome  became  more 
settled,  and  the  emperor's  crown  rested  safely  upon  Vespasian's  head. 

There  were  about  24,000  men,  all  foolhardy  heroes,  forming  four 
different  parties,  who  could  have  executed  extraordinary  deeds  of 
bravery  had  they  been  united  against  a  common  enemy  in  the  field 
of  battle ;  but  instead  of  which  each  party  intrenched  themselves  in 
a  separate  j^art  of  the  town,  made  continual  sallies  against  the  other, 
as  if  fighting  an  inexorable  enemy,  in  order  that  one  might  crush  the 
other  to  become  master  of  the  situation.  Their  leaders  were  Elea- 
zar  ben  Simon  and  Simon  ben  Jair,  belonging  to  the  Jerifsalem 
zealots;  also  Jochanan  of  Gischala,  of  the  Galilean  zealots;  whilst 
Jacob  ben  Sosa  and  Simon  ben  Kathla  led  the  third  party,  consist- 
ing of  Iduma3ans,  all  eager  combatants,  and  the  foiu'th  party,  the  so- 
called  Sicareans  (robbers),  were  commanded  by  the  wild  Simon 
Giora.  The  struggle,  which  was  renewed  almost  every  day,  de- 
stroyed many  buildings  and  a  vast  quautit_y  of  stored-uj)  provisions. 
The  greatest  havoc  was  perpetrated  by  the  followers  of  bar  Giora, 
who,  being  composed  of  the  worst  class  of  the  population,  were  used 
to  an  adventurous  life,  and  committed  plunder  and  devastation  Avith 
the  utmost  coolness.  In  this  manner  two  j^ears  passed  away,  which 
gave  ample  time  to  the  enemy  to  desolate  all  j^arts  of  Judea,  es- 
pecially as  Vespasian  took  good  care  not  to  attack  the  lions  in  their 
places  of  concealment,  although  many  deserters  tried  to  persuade 
him  that  it  would  be  merely  an  easy  task  to  do  so.  He  preferred  to 
abide  his  time,  till  the  different  parties  should  have  extirpated  each 
other,  and  in  the  meantime  he  subdued  those  parts  of  the  country 
which  still  held  out. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  187 

Vespasian  was  just  approaching  Jenisalem  when  he  was  declared 
emperor.  lie  went  to  Rome  to  be  crowned,  and  Titns,  who  was 
ap2)ointed  successor  to  the  throne,  came  to  Jerusalem  to  take  the 
c(^mmand  of  the  army. 

Titus  now  brought  together  about  80,000  men,  and  procured  such 
quantities  of  siege  materials  as  no  other  general  ever  had  before 
him.  At  the  approach  of  danger  an  apjH'oximation  between  the 
contending  parties  in  Jerusalem  took  place.  From  all  sides,  from 
Jiidea  and  other  foreign  parts,  especially  from  the  countries  on  the 
Euphrates,  very  many  Docked  to  the  capital  to  lay  down  their  lives 
in  its  defence.  The  walls  and  all  other  strongholds  were  well  for- 
tified, in  order  to  withstand  the  many  battering  machines  brought 
to  bear  against  them.  But  all  exertions  could  "liot  prevent  the  fall  of 
Jerusalem,  for  the  struggle  of  the  different  parties,  which  had  lasted 
so  long,  had  deprived  the  city  of  its  vast  resources,  without  which 
it  was  iinpossible.to  hold  out  long.  Before  the  Avar  Jerusalem  was 
well  sui^plied  with  all  sorts  of  provisions;  all  the  storehouses  in  the 
Temjjle  and  in  the  city  were  well  stocked  with  corn  and  other 
necessaries.  Three  of  the  richest  men  in  Jerusalem,  ben  Tsisit, 
Kalba-sabua  and  Nicodem  ben  Gorion,  had  stored  uj)  such  a  quan- 
tity of  provisions,  that  it  was  sufficient  for  the  whole  city,  even  for 
a  period  of  ten  years.  But,  owing  to  the  continual  struggles  which 
took  place  within  its  walls,  all  these  resources  had  become  a  prey  to 
the  flames;  and  the  destruction  thus  caused  had  produced  an  enemy 
who  in  exorableness  vied  with  the  Romans,  and  against  whom 
heroism  could  j^revail  nothing.  In  April  (70)  the  Eoman  army  en- 
camped before  Jerusalem,  surrounding  it  on  all  sides.  The  Jews 
continually  ventured  upon  making  bold  sallies,  which  almost  fright- 
ened the  Romans,  for  ah-eady,  on  the  first  day,  Titus  himself  had 
but  a  narrow  escape  from  being  captured.  Yet  all  these  skirmishes 
proved  fruitless,  and  the  Romans  at  length  succeeded  in  placing  their 
battering  machines  on  three  sides  in  proper  position,  the  same 
being  directed  against  the  outer  wall  of  the  city,  and  fixed  on  ram- 
parts which  reached  to  the  height  of  the  wall.  The  Romans  now 
began  to  throw  their  arrows,  slings,  and  blocks  of  stone  into  the 
city,  and  upon  the  defenders  posted  on  the  walls.  On  three  sides 
battering  rams  and  iron  ram's  heads  played  against  the  wall  in  order 
to  effect  a  breach;  but  scarcely  had  the  enemy  commenced  the  attack, 
when  the  Jews  sallied  forth  like  demons,  destroying  the  machines 
and  all  their  preparations.  Even  women  took  part  in  the  fight, 
giving  thus  to  the  men  unexampled  proofs  of  courage  and  their  de- 
fiance of  death.  The  besieged  in  tlieii'  turn  threw  blocks  of  rock 
upon  the  enemy,  jjoured  seething  hot  oil  upon  their  heads,  and. 
after  a  while,  they  also  understood  to  handle  heavy  artillery,  turning 
the  ordnance  which  they  captured  against  their  former  possessors. 
After  a  lapse  of  fifteen  days,  however,  the  Romans  forced  the  be- 


188  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

sieged  to  leave  the  outer  wall  (7  Jiar.),  and  now  a  terrible  combat 
commenced  for  the  middle  wall,  which  the  defenders  had  erected  be- 
hind the  outer  one,  and  of  which  the  Romans  gained  jjossession  after 
four  days  of  hard  fighting,  when  also  Bezetha,  one  of  the  suburbs, 
fell  into  their  hands.  This  made  the  besieged  fight  the  more  desj^er- 
ately,  for  they  had  no  other  alternative  but  to  conquer  or  die,  being 
weU  aware  that  they  had  no  mercy  to  exj)ect  fi'om  the  Romans. 
The  i^risoners  of  war  and  those  who  intentionally  fell  into  the 
enemy's  hands  in  order  to  escape  starvation,  which  was  now  staring 
them  in  the  face,  Titus  put  to  the  stake,  and  five  hundred  of  them 
suffered  thus  in  one  day,  to  show  to  the  obstinate  defenders  the 
consequence  in  prospect  for  them.  The  Romans  now  attacked  the 
xVntonia,  and  only  on  the  third  day  they  succeeded  in  becoming 
masters  of  the  place.  The  defence  of  this  bastion  brought  to  light  such 
heroism  of  the  defenders,  that  Titus  gave  up  all  hope  of  a  speedy 
termination  of  the  war,  and  began  to  prej^are  himself  for  a  protracted 
siege.  Starvation,  which  now  made  its  apj)earance  in  all  quarters, 
should  thus  become  his  ally.  In  order  to  prevent  all  egress  from 
the  town  he  erected  a  wall  a  mile  in  circumference  around  the  whole 
city,  destroying  all  the  gardens  and  fields  about  Jerusalem,  making 
the  entire  neighborhood  for  two  miles  around  resemble  a  wilder- 
ness. By  the  mass  of  people  within  the  town,  food  became  more 
scarce  every  day,  and  as  all  the  resources  to  procure  pi'ovisions  from 
without  were  cut  off,  hunger  was  now  raging  on  all  sides,  snatching 
away  its  victims  in  great  numbers.  The  poorest  class,  whose  pittance 
was  soon  exhausted,  were  the  first  who  had  to  succumb  to  this 
dreadful  scourge;  making  all  compassion  grow  dumb,  and  stifling 
even  parental  love.  The  houses  and  streets  itegan  to  fill  with  coi-pses, 
whom  their  own  relations  did  not  care  to  bury,  and  had  to  be  re- 
moved at  public  expense.  The  living  who  were  lingering  about  the 
streets  had  their  faces  swelled  and  resembling  sjDecters.  This  terri- 
ble state  induced  many  to  desert  to  the  Romans,  Avhere  another 
death  was  in  waiting  for  them.  The  Romans  had  some  susi:)icion 
that  many  of  the  deserters  had  swallowed  pieces  of  gold  to  serve  as  a 
kind  of  palliative  when  in  captivity;  but  as  they  acted  like  cannibals 
toward  the  prisoners,  they  cut  them  up  alive  iu  order  to  find  the 
hidden  treasures. 

In  spite,  however,  of  starvation,  as  well  as  ireachery  with  which 
they  Avere  surrounded,  the  zealots  of  all  parties  never  shr'aidi  or 
tired  in  carrying  on  the  defence.  On  the  17th  Tamus,  the  daily 
offerings  had  to  cease  for  want  of  animals.  Titus  embraced  this 
oj^portu-nity  for  the  purpose  of  making  peace;  but  the  appearance  of 
his  ambassador,  Josephus,  oidy  increased  the  wrath  of  the  combat- 
ants. After  the  fall  of  the  Antonio,  it  became  necessary  to  defend  the 
Temple.  As  soon  then  as  the  Romans  turned  their  artillery  against 
the   Temple,  the  Jews   were   compelled   to  destroy  the  colonnades 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  189 

which  connected  the  Antonia  with  the  Temple.  They  set  fire  to  the 
eastern  portion,  and  pretending  to  fly  from  the  disaster,  many  of  the 
Romans  cHmbed  the  colonnades,  and  thus  lost  their  lives  either  by 
tlie  swords  of  the  combatants,  or  in  the  conflagration.  The  tire  ex- 
tended to  the  whole  western  part  of  these  beautiful  structures,  which 
all  became  a  prey  to  the  flames  on  the  27th  Tamus;  and  the  next  day 
the  Romans  set  tire  to  the  northern  portion,  which  was  also  destroyed. 
In  the  meantime  the  destroying  angel  of  starvation  strode  through 
Jerusalem's  population,  enervating  with  eagerness  all  vital  spirits, 
abolishing  every  barrier  between  rich  and  poor,  and  unfettering  the 
lowest  passions.  Money  had  lost  its  value,  for  one  could  no  more 
procu^re  bread  for  the  same.  For  the  sake  of  a  little  straw,  a 
piece  of  leather,  and  things  even  by  far  worse,  the  starving  inhab- 
itants contended  with  each  other  to  get  possession  of  them.  The  rich 
Martha,  wife  of  the  High-priest,  Josna  ben  Gamala,  who  once 
walked  on  carpets  fr'om  her  hoijse  to  the  Temple,  was  now  seeking, 
the  same  as  the  poorest  inhabitants,  whether  she  cordd  not  pick  up 
in  the  streets  some  nauseous  food,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  cravings 
of  hvmger  even  for  a  moment  only.  As  if  not  one  incident  in  the 
awful  picture  of  the  admonition  of  the  great  prophet  should  remain 
unfulfilled,  a  deed  of  the  greatest  horror  haj^pened,  which  made  even 
the  enemy  shudder.  A  woman,  Mirjam,  who,  from  the  countr}^  had 
taken  refuge  in  the  capital,  killed  her  baby  and  consumed  its  flesh. 
The  heaps  of  corpses,  which  soon  became  putrid  at  this  season  of 
the  year,  filled  the  whole  place  with  a  nauseous  smell,  causing  pesti- 
lence all  over  the  city,  and  which,  with  war  and  hunger,  vied  with 
each  other  in  snatching  away  the  population.  Yet  the  brave  war- 
riors bore  all  these  dreadful  troubles  with  undiminished  courage ; 
they  entered  the  battle-field  with  empty  stomachs,  and  surrounded 
by  the  gloomiest  pictures  of  death,  they  showed  nevertheless  the 
same  impetuosity  as  on  the  first  day  the  siege  commenced.  The 
Romans  brought  their  siege  trains  to  bear  against  the  outer  works 
of  the  Temple,  but  after  six  days  (2-8  Ab.),  continually  bombarding 
the  place,  they  could  not  succeed  in  shaking  the  foundation  of  the 
wall.  They  then  commenced  storming  the  jalace,  trying  to  climb  the 
wall  by  means  of  ladders,  but  were  repulsed  with  great  loss. 
Titus  then  gave  up  his  plan  to  save  the  Temple,  and  ordered  to  set 
fii'e  to  the  outer  works;  but,  as  if  repenting  the  step  he  had  thus 
taken,  he  all  at  once  countermanded  his  orders,  and  dii'ected  his 
soldiers  to  extinguish  the  conflagration,  which  had  raged  already  for 
thirty-six  hours,  doing  a  great  deal  of  mischief.  On  the  next  day 
(9  Ab.)  the  Jews  boldly  attempted  another  sally,  biit  had  to  retire  on 
account  of  meeting  the  enemy  in  great  force.  At  length  the  last 
hour  of  the  fall  of  the  Holy  City  had  arrived,  leaving  in  the  memory 
of  the  nation  a  sad  grief  even  for  thousands  of  years  to  come. 
The  besieged  ventured  again  upon  another  sallj^  on   the  IGth  Ab., 


190  SCnOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

trying  to  dislodge  the  Romish  artillery  in  charge  of  the  siege 
train,  but  they  were  repulsed  and  pursued  by  the  enemy. 
In  the  confusion  which  now  ensued  a  Roman  soldier  took 
up  a  large  firebrand,  and  being  lifted  by  one  of  his  com- 
rades, he  threw  it  through  the  so-called  golden  window  into  the 
Temple.  The  wood  of  the  Temple  cells  soon  caught  tire,  and  sjiread 
the  flames  to  the  next  compartments,  causing  the  conflagration  to 
rise  to  a  great  height.  This  awful  sight  brought  on  discouragement 
for  the  first  time,  and  even  the  most  courageous  shrank  back  and 
felt  disheartened  in  beholding  the  Temple  on  fire.  Titus  now  ad- 
vanced with  his  trooj^s,  for  resistance  had  almost  ceased,  and  he  at 
once  ordered  that  the  conflagration  should  be  extinguished.  But 
his  command  was  not  listened  to,  and  his  furious  soldiers  now  filled 
all  j)arts  of  the  Temple,  in  order  to  plunder,  to  set  fire  to  the 
remaining  places,  and  to  murder  everybody  they  met  with. 

Titus  himself,  drawn  by  curiosity,  entered  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
felt  delightsome  at  the  sight,  and  never  left  the  spot  till  the  dense 
smoke  compelled  him  to  make  his  retreat.  Once  more,  now,  the 
Jewish  warriors  made  their  apj)earance  in  the  midst  of  the  burning 
scene,  and  one  of  the  hottest  combats  began.  The  shoutings  of 
victory  of  the  Romans,  the  lamentations  of  the  Jews  at  the  sight  of 
ruin,  the  crackling  of  the  fire,  made  the  earth  and  the  atmosjihere 
tremble,  and  the  echo  carried  the  sad  news  even  to  the  mountains 
beyond  the  Jordan,  while  the  sea  of  fire  imparted  to  the  inhabitants 
round  about  that  the  Temple  stood  in  flames,  and  that  all  further  hope 
had  ceased.  Many  of  the  Jews  in  their  desj)air  tlu'ew  themselves 
into  the  flames — they  desired  to  live  no  longer  than  the  Temple; 
others,  many  thousands,  men,  women  and  children,  had  remained,  in 
spite  of  the  approaching  enemy,  and  the  continually  increasing 
flames,  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  colonnades.  The  Romans 
fell  ujoon  them,  and  they  were  all  massacred  without  mercy.  The 
Temple,  except  the  foundations  and  some  odd  ruins  of  the  wall,  be- 
came entirely  a  j^rey  to  the  flames.  Some  of  the  priesthood,  who  had 
taken  refuge  upon  the  wall,  where  they  held  out  several  days  in  spite 
of  hunger  and  thirst,  were  at  last  forced  to  leave  their  retreat,  and 
Titus  had  them  immediately  executed.  "Priests  ought  to  perish 
together  with  the  Temple,"  were  the  words  which  the  tyrant  uttered 
in  cloaking  his  evil  deeds.  The  victorious  legions  made  offerings 
to  their  gods  upon  the  Temple-place,  hoisted  their  standards,  and 
jjroclaimed  Titus  for  their  emj^eror.  But  the  fighting  had  not  yet 
ended,  for  even  the  last  stone  must  be  contended  for,  and  onty  on  the 
8th  of  Elul  the  Romans  took  possession  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  city, 
which  they  also  set  fire  to.  All  the  walls  except  a  small  portion  of 
the  western  wall  were  destroyed;  the  three  towers,  Hippicos, 
Mariamne  and  Phasael,  were  spared  by  Titus,  in  order  that  they  might 
be  a  sign  of  the  great  victory  he  had  thus  achieved. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


191 


Amid  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Temple  the  last  residue  of 
Judea's  stately  independence  was  gone.  Above  a  million  of  people 
lost  their  lives  during  the  siege,  and  in  considering  those  also  who  had 
sacrificed  their  lives  in  Galilee,  Peraa  andother  Jewish  towns,  it  may 
almost  he  concluded  that  the  Jewish  race  on  native  soil  was  for  the 
most  part  annihilated.  Once  more  Zion  sat  u])on  the  burning  ruins 
and  wept;  her  sons  had  perished,  and  her  daughters  had  been  led  into 
ignominioiis  captivity.  She  was  even  more  unhappy  than  after  the 
first  destruction,  for  now  no  seer  was  at  hand  to  inform  her  of  the 
end  of  her  widowhood,  and  when  the  days  of  her  mourning  should 
cease.  But  the  time  will  arrive  when  again  aged  men  and  women 
shall  sit  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  each  having  his  crutch  in  hand  to 
support  him  in  his  old  age;  the  ojDen  jDlaces  of  the  city  will  again  be 
filled  with  boys  and  girls,  who  will  be  playing  in  the  streets.  (Zach. 
viii:  2.)  Dk.  G-raetz. 


Dr.  H.  Gbaetz — Noted  for  his  great  eniditiOB;  a  man  of  letters;  professor  at  the  University  of 
Breslau;  Lectiu'er  at  the  Breslau  Jewish  Theological  Seminary;  chief  editor  of  the  Monatscfi- 
rifl;  author  of  a  Jewish  history  and  many  other  works  which  gained  him  a  world-wide  rep- 
utation. 

Legion — A  body  of  Roman  soldiers,  about  I  Colossus— A  statue  of  enormous  magnitude. 
5,000  men;  a  great  number.  | 


THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM. 


My  hapless  country's  woes  I  weep, 
The  land  of  song  and  golden  lyre, 

Where  sages,  seers,  and  prophets  sleep, 
Whose  harps  did  heaven  inspire. 

I  mourn  her  fall  from  regal  state, 

From  high  and  lofty  pride; 
No  more  among  the  nations  great — 

We're  scattered  far  and  wide. 

Nor  wine,  nor  fig,  nor  olive  hills. 
In  blooming  verdure  crowns; 

The  deserts  choke  her  healing  rills. 
And  nature  forever  frowns. 

Her  lofty  piles  and  towering  domes 

Are  shrouded  in  the  dust ; 
And  Israel  o'er  the  wide  world  roams, 

A  captive,  dumb  to  foul  lust. 

And  where  is  now  her  holy  fane, 
Where  angels  and  seraphim  dwelt? 

Alas  !  the  Pagan  rites  profane 

Where  priests,  kings  and  people  knelt. 

The  Lord  hath  turned  away  his  face  ! 


For  this  we  weep  and  mourn  our  fate; 
We  pray,  in  mercy,  love  and  grace. 
Once  more  restore  our  glorious  state. 

When  shall  Thy  temple  'gain  appear. 
Its  ample  courts  on  Zion's  hill. 

And  nations  all,  both  far  and  near, 
Thy  shrine  and  tabernacle  fiH? 

When  shall  Thy  children   'gain  return, 
With  song  and  harp  and  sacred  lyre; 

The  lamps  of  heaven  deeper  burn, 
And   light  their  path    with  pillowed 
fire'^ 

An  exile  made  by  God's  command. 
We  will  not  murmur  at  His  will, 

But  ne'er  forget  the  promised  land. 
Which  His  divinity  doth  fill. 

This  solace  only  have  we  left, 

To  weep,  and  mourn  so  long  for  Thee; 

Of  this  we  cannot  be  bereft. 

We  know  she  shall  again  be  free. 

J.  M. 


192  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

THE  FATE  OF  THE  CAPTIVES. 

[70  A.] 
Who  is  able  to  delineate  the  sufferings  wliich  tlie  prisoners  met 
with  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the   Romans  ?     More  than  900,000 
were  made  prisoners  in  the  war.     Those  taken  in  Jei-usalem,  Titus 
had  penned  together  and  closely  watched  by  a  certain  Fronto,    a 
liberated  slave.    Two  officials  belonging  to  the  TemjDle  received  their 
pardon,  on  account  of  having  delivered  to  Titus  the  robes  of  the 
High-priest  and  the  vessels  in  use  at  the  Temjjle.     All  those  who 
were  recognized  or  betrayed  as  combatants  were  immediately  exe- 
cuted by  Fronto's  orders.     Those  remaining  envied  their  speedy 
end  ;  for  17,000  died  of  hunger,  their  scanty  allowance  not  Ijeing 
sufficient  to  keep  them  alive.     Many  of  the  prisoners  refused  to 
accept  anything  of  the  Romans  and  soon  perished.     Of  those  still 
remaining,  Fi'onto  picked  the  finest  and  most  vigorous  youths  to 
serve  the  purpose  of  fighting  wild  animals,  and  for  accompanying 
Titus  on  his  triumphal  march  to  Rome  ;   others,  again,  who  were, 
above  seventeen,  were  sent  to  the  mines  in  Egyj^t,  in  order  to  spend 
their  lives  in  constant  labor,  the  same  fate  as  the  Galilean  prisoners 
formerly  met,  who  were  condemned  to  do  socage  for  the  Isthmus  of 
Corinth.     There  were  yet  40,000  left,  of  whom  Titus  j)resented  a 
large  number  to  his  friends  to  serve  as  slaves,  and  the  remaining 
male  and  female  prisoners  under  seventeen  were  sold  for  a  mere 
bagatelle  to  slave-dealers.     Thus  were  the  sons   and   daughters   of 
Zion  dragged  about  as  slaves  all  over  the  Roman  Empire.     What 
heartrending    scenes    have  not  these   unliappy  ones   experienced ! 
The  terrible  anguish  they  had  to  undergo  has  found  no  pencil  to 
preserve  it  for  posterity  !     Only  a  slight  consolation  was  left  to  the 
unliappy  captives,  consisting  in  the  possibility  of  being  sent  to  some 
sjjot  where  a  Jewish  community  existed,  when  they  could  make  sure 
of  meeting  with  brotherly  sympathy,  where  also  their  co-religionists 
would  not  fail  to  paj  almost  any  ransom  to  procure  them  their  free- 
dom.    When  Titus  left  the  scene  of  devastation,  he  left  the  Tenth 
Legion,  commanded  by  Terentius  Rufus,  in  charge  of  the  country. 
The  vigorous  Jewish  youths  were  put  in  fetters  and  sent  after  him. 
In  Casarea  Fhilippi  he  and  his  courtiers  held  a  grand  court-day, 
when  amusements,  according  to  Romish  customs,  were  j^repared  for 
his  friends.     Wild  animals  were  led  into  a  well-secured  place,  and 
the  Jewish  prisoners  were  compelled  to  fight  with  them  till  they 
became  overpowered   and  torn   to   pieces   by  the   furious  brutes. 
Sometimes  the  spectacle  underwent  a  change,  by  making  use  of  the 
Jewish  prisoners  in  a  tournament,  in  order  that  they  might  pierce 
each  other  to  death.     Ihe  same  kind  of  amusements  Titus  ordered 
to  be  instituted  in  Casai'ea  on  the  sea,  in  honor  of  his  brother's  birth- 
day, when  more  than  2,000  J  ews  lost  their  lives  in  this  horrible  man- 
ner.    He  then  went  to  Berytus,  where  he  celebrated  the  birthday  of 


FOR  T[IE  USE  OP  JSRAELITES.  193 

his  father,  and  in  the  combat  of  beasts  and  men  which  took  place 
here  also,  the  sand  of  the  arena  soon  become  red  fi-om  Jewish  blood 
thus  spilt  ;  in  every  town  he  granted  to  the  Syrians,  whose  hatred 
to  the  Jews  was  well  known,  the  mischievous  joy  of  deli<)^hting  them- 
selves with  the  agonies  of  the  unfortunate  Jews.  This  was  Titus' 
levity  and  inhumanity;  this  the  man  whom  flatterers  styled  the  bliss 
of  the  human  race. 

At  length  he  got  ready  to  proceed  on  his  triumphal  march  to 
Rome.  For  this  occasion  he  took  with  him  700  Jewish  prisoners, 
who  were  all  picked  men  of  the  finest  caste,  and  the  leaders  J  ochanan, 
of  Gishala,  and  Simon  bar  Giora,  were  also  of  his  retinue.  The  former, 
forced  by  hunger,  submitted  to  the  Romans,  and  the  latter,  not  able 
to  make  his  escape  in  the  subterraneous  passages  of  Jerusalem,  and 
becoming  also  short  of  provisions,  placed  himself  suddenly,  wrapped 
in  a  white  garment  and  purple  cloak,  before  Rufus,  announcing  him- 
self to  him  as  Simon  bar  Giora,  the  leader  of  the  zealots.  He  was  imme- 
diately put  in  fetters,  and,  as  he  knew  but  too  well  what  he  had  to 
expect  from  the  Romans,  he  awaited  his  fate  with  the  utmost  resig- 
nation. What  became  of  the  third  leader  of  the  zealots,  Eleasar 
ben  Simon,  has  not  transpired  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  he  ended  his 
heroic  existence  on  the  battlefield,  which,  however,  the  knavish  his- 
torian, grudging  him  immortality,  has  avoided  mentioning.  The 
two  heroes,  Jochanan  and  Simon,  accompanied  Titus  upon  his 
triumphal  march  through  Palestine,  Syria  and  Alexandria,  and  they 
were  singled  out  for  magnifying  his  entrance  into  Rome. 

In  the  meantime  Vespasian  expected  his  son  with  torturing  impa- 
tience, not  because  he  wanted  to  press  him  to  his  paternal  heart,  but 
rather  to  get  rid  of  the  trouble  which  a  certain  report  caused  him,  in 
regard  to  Titus'  intentions  to  dethrone  him.  In  order  to  divert  his 
father's  fear,  Titus'  first  salutation  in  meeting  his  father  was  :  "  He- 
hold,  I  have  not  failed  to  come. "  Whereupon  the  father  and  his  two 
sons,  Titus  and  Domitian,  celebrated  their  triumph  over  Judea.  In 
the  procession  which  they  arranged,  the  vessels  of  the  Temple,  the 
golden  candlestick,  the  golden  table,  and  the  scroll  of  the  law  be- 
longing to  the  Temjile,  were  carried  before  them;  the  prisoners,  all  in 
fetters,  followed,  and  drawings  of  all  battles  and  devastations  were 
shown  to  the  merry,  show-seeking  j)eople.  Simon  bar  Giora  was 
dragged  through  the  streets  by  a  rope,  and  at  length,  according  to 
Roman  custom,  which  required  a  human  sacrifice,  he  was  executed. 
Medals  were  struck,  the  impression  of  which  represented  unhappy 
Judea  as  a  contrite  woman  in  a  despairing  attitude,  under  a  palm 
tree,  before  a  warrior  standing  upright,  and  bearing  the  inscription : 
"  The  Captured  and  Uonquex'ed  Judea."  Later  a  triumphal  arch  was 
erected  for  Titus,  upon  which  all  the  vessels  of  the  Temple  taken  as 
booty  may  be  seen  even  unto  this  day.  The  Romish  Jews  for  a 
length  of  time  tried  to  avoid  this  arch,  preferring  rather  a  round- 

PART    II.— 13 


194 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


about  way  instead  of  beholding  it.  The  booty  taken  from  the 
Temple  remained  for  a  long  time  in  Eome,  deposited  in  the  Temple 
of  Peace,  which  Vesj)asian  had  erected,  while  the  scroll  of  the  law 
was  kept  in  the  Imperial  palace.  But  afterward,  when  the  time 
arrived  for  Kome  to  suffer  for  its  manifold  sins,  these  remnants  of 
the  Jewish  sanctuary  were  carried  off  into  other  countries,  and  all 
further  knowledge  of  them  has  thus  ceased. 
De.  Honigman. 

Dr.  Honigman — An  eminent  Jewish  Kabbi  In  Hungary  known  as  a  pulpit  orator  and  writer 
of  note. 

Socage — Husbandry  services  to  be  per-  I  Isthmus — A  neck  of  laud  joining  the  penin- 
formed  to  the  lord  of  the  fee.  sula  to  the  continent. 

Levity— Idle  pleasure.  I 


THE  NINTH  OF  AV. 

(From  the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah.) 


How  does  our  city  sit  forlorn , 

Once  regal  in  her  pride; 
Become  a  mourning  widow  now, 

Who  was  tlie  nation's  bride. 

Alas  !  the  tears  are  on  her  cheeks. 

By  night  she  weepeth  sore; 
Her  lovers  come  to  comfort 

And  her  friends  to  cheer — no  more. 

Hush'd  is  the  harp  in  Judah's  halls, 

For  she  is  captive  led; 
Her  kings,  her  prophets,  and  her  priests 

Are  powerless  as  the  dead. 

Her  warriors  and  her  mighty  men 
With  chains  the  focmen  bind; 

Her  princes  are  like  timid  harts 
That  can  no  pasture  find. 

The  chosen  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts 
Are  wanderers  on  the  earth; 

The  heathen  rules  the  Holy  Land 
Which  gave  our  fathers  birth. 

Yet  Zion  well  remembers 

In  this,  her  tearful  day. 
The  pleasant  things  she  had  of  old. 

Her  temples — far  away. 

Abroad  the  sword  bereav'd  her; 

At  home  it  was  like  death. 
When  her  sacred  fanes  fell  prostrate 

Before  the  Almighty's  breath. 


When  in  the  wine-press  of  His  wrath 

Her  patriarchs  were  cast. 
Her  youths  and  virgins  swept  away 

Like  chaff  before  the  blast. 

Oh  !  God  hath  cover'd  Zion 
With  a  dark  and  stormy  cloud. 

And  the  beauty  of  proud  Israel 
From  heaven  to  earth  hath  bowed. 

With  His  right  hand  he  bent  his  bow 

'Gainst  Jacob  in  His  ire. 
And  the  Lord  hathpour'd  His  fury  out 

Like  a  swift  and  flaming  fire. 

Arise,  aflflicted  Judah, 

And  never  cease  to  cry. 
Till  all  thy  sins  are  pardon'd 

And  His  anger  hal  h  passed  by. 

Pour  out  thy  heart  like  water 

Before  His  shrouded  face. 
Until  again  His  smiles  shall  beam 

On  all  thy  fallen  race. 

Behold,  0  Lord,  in  mercy. 
When  thy  people  pray  to  Thee; 

Tho'  we  have  sinn'd  against  Thee, 
Unbind  and  set  us  free. 

And  lead  us,  we  implore  Thee, 

To  a  Canaan  of  delight, 
With  a  cloud  of  purest  snow  by  day 

And  a  fiery  cloud  by  night. 


FOR  TIIP]  USB  OP  ISRAELITES.  195 


Then  shall  our  song  exultini?  rise, 
Onr  liai'ps  hannoiiioussouMtl, 

Wlieii  Israol's  tribes  are  pither'd  homo 
From  nations  all  around. 


And  the  remnant  of  Thy  children 

Shall  joyously  record 
Thy  wondrous,  lovintj  works  anew, 

And  the  pardon  of  the  Lord. 

L.  .1.  Cu. 


RABBI  JOCHANAN  BEN  SAKE  AT. 

[-0   A,]  _ 

•  It  is  certainly  a  hif^hly  interesting  question  to  consider,  how  it 
happened  that,  after  the  second  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
rain  of  all  the  institutions  which  existed  in  that  center,  after  the 
dispersion  of  the  Jews  in  every  direction,  Judaism  was  so  saved  that, 
instead  of  jDerishing,  only  a  new  great  era  commenced,  which  has 
already  outlasted  seventeen  centuries.  It  would  be  exceedingly 
partial  to  ascribe  this  great  phenomenon  to  a  single  motive,  or  even  to 
a  single  person  ahty.  All  was  a  mighty  web  of  Divine  providence, 
of  which  the  threads,  centuries  ago,  were  knotted  and  sj)un  without 
interruption.  A  satisfactory  explanation  could  only  be  obtained 
from  glancing  at  the  entire  history  of  Judah  during  its  second  life, 
in  conjunction  mth  the  whole  condition  of  the  world  at  that  time. 

One  great  cause  consisted  essentially  in  the  faithfulness  of  belief, 
which  the  Jewish  colonies,  both  sides  of  the  Euphrates,  on  the  Nile, 
the  Tiber,  the  Ebro,  and  on  the  Rhine,  had  preserved  long  before 
the  downfall  of  Zion,  enabling  them  to  grant  unto  broken  and  exiled 
Judaism  a  place  of  refuge.  But  that  in  this  process  only  single 
l^ersonalities  were  called  to  handle  this  gigantic  work,  in  drawing 
together  into  fresh  joints  the  scattered  members,  is  not  the  less 
evident.  Rabbi  Jochauan  ben  Sakkai  stood  foremost  in  accom- 
plishing this  work. 

Jachanan  was  a  disciple  of  Hillel.  During  forty  years,  it  is  said, 
he  was  engaged  in  business.  As  long  as  the  state  existed,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Sanhedrim,  occupying  his  time  in  teaching,  as  his 
academy  in  Jerusalem  became  very  important.  Diu'ing  the  troubles 
of  the  war  of  liberation,  he  belonged,  on  account  of  his  peaceful 
character,  to  the  peace  party  ;  continually  urging  the  jjeople  and 
the  zealots  to  surrender  Jerusalem,  and  submit  to  the  Romans. 
"  Why  should  you  wish  to  destroy  the  town,  and  expose  the  Temple 
to  the  flames  ?"  he  remarked  to  the  war  party.  But  they  despised 
his  exhortations,  owing  to  their  love  of  independence.  Fearing  the 
ragefvxl  fanaticism  of  the  zealots,  or  on  account  of  wise  precaution, 
to  insure  to  instniction  a  place  of  refuge.  Rabbi  Jochanan  jDassed 
over  to  Vespasian's  camp.  But  the  distance  leading  out  of  town  was 
rather  difficult  to  traverse,considering  the  careful  watch  kept  up  by  the 
fervent  patriots.  Jochanan  therefore  resolved,  being  in  league  with 
one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  zealots,  Ben  Batiach,  who  was  his  relative,  to 
be  carried  out  of  the  town  as  a  corpse.    Placed  in  a  coffin,  his  pupils, 


196  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Eleasar  and  Joshur,  carried  him  at  the  hour  of  twilight  to  the  gates 
of  the  city.  A  j)iece  of  rotten  meat  was  also  j)laced  in  the  coffin, 
in  order  that  the  bad  odor  might  deceive  the  guard  at  the  gates. 
But  the  guard  hesitated  to  let  them  pass,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
examining  the  coffin,  when  the  jDressing  warning  of  their  leader, 
Ben  Batiach,  not  to  violate  the  corpse  of  the  venerable  teacher,  had 
the  effect  of  preventing  them  from  carrying  out  their  intention. 
Vespasian  received  him  kindly  and  gave  him  Uberty  to  ask  a 
favor  of  him.  Rabbi  Jochanan  very  modestly  prayed  for  permis- 
sion to  establish  a  school-house  at  Tabneh,  and  Vespasian  felt  no 
objection  to  a  wish  which  appeared  to  him  not  very  captious,  never 
thinking  that,  through  this  simjDle  act,  Judiasm  would  be  placed  in 
a  position  to  outhve  Romanism  with  all  the  boasting  of  its  power 
and  iron-like  vigor,  even  for  thousands  of  years  to  come.  Ves- 
pasian's kind  recei^tion  arose,  perhaps,  from  the  circumstance  that 
Jochanan  prophesied  to  him  his  elevation  to  the  dignity  of  emperor. 
In  making  this  statement  beforehand,  it  was  not  the  gift  of  prophecy 
with  Rabbi  Jochanan,  but  it  rested  upon  conviction,  taken  from  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  that  "  the  Libanon  (Temple)  shordd  only  suc- 
cumb to  a  crowned  head."     (Isaiah  x:  35.) 

Jochanan  with  his  pupils  settled  in  Tabneh,  or  Tamnia,  a  town 
close  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  situated  between  the  port  of  Joppa 
and  the  town  of  Asdod,  formerly  belonging  to  the  Philistines.  At  the 
outset,  Jochanan's  activity  found  but  little  practice,  as  long  as  exas- 
perated warfare  was  raging  under  the  walls  of  Jeruselem,  in  its  streets, 
and  around  the  Temple.  "When  the  sad  news  arrived  that  the  town 
had  succumbed  and  the  Temjole  was  in  flames,  Jochanan  and  his 
disciples  rent  their  clothes,  mourning  and  lamenting  as  for  the  death 
of  a  near  relative.  But  the  master  did  not  desjjair  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  discij)les,  being  aware  that  the  nature  of  Judaism  was 
not  indissolubly  bound  with  the  fate  of  temple  and  altar.  He  con- 
soled his  sad  pupils  on  the  loss  of  the  expiatory  j^lace,  in  making  the 
striking  remark  that,  "  Charity  makes  up  for  sacrifices,  as  stated  in 
Holy  Writ;  for  I  have  pleasure  in  charitableness  and  not  in  sacri- 
fices." This  view  concerning  the  value  of  sacrifices  made  him 
clearly  perceive  that  it  was  above  all  things  necessary  to  establish  a 
fresh  center  in  place  of  the  Temple.  He  ordered  the  formation  of 
a  Sanhedrim  in  Tabneh,  whose  joresident  he  was  selected  to  be;  the 
more  so,  because  he  was  the  only  one  left  of  Ilillel's  disciples, 
as  Gamaliel,  the  son  of  Simon,  the  active  patriarch  during  the  war  of 
liberation,  was  under  age.  The  fresh-gathered  Sanhedrim  was 
surely  not  formed  of  exactly  seventy  members,  and  was  probably 
aj)iDointed  to  fill  a  sphere  of  activity  different  from  that  exercised  in 
Jerusalem  during  the  war,  which  had  full  power  assigned  to  them 
under  all  circumstances,  and  in  the  most  important  political  affairs  of 
the  day.     On  the  Tamnian  Sanhedrim  its  founder  conferred  above 


FOR  TUB  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  197 

all  relipfious  sovereignty,  such  as  possessed  by  its  predecessor  in 
Jerusalem,  and  at  the  same  time  all  the  judicial  functions  of  a  high 
tribunal  were  combined  with  it.  Only  Jochanan's  full  authority 
covdd  accomplish  such  a  work  as  the  formation  and  strengthening 
of  a  Sanhedi'im  imder  the  existing  unfavorable  circumstances.  The 
most  important  functions,  which  operated  decidedly  upon  the 
foreign  congregations,  were  the  arrangements  of  the  new  moon  and 
festivals,  which  always  proceeded  from  Tamnia. 

Jochanan's  exertion  as  teacher  also  j^roved  highly  efficacious,  and 
he  was  constantly  surrounded  by  a  large  number  of  pupils.  At  that 
time  he  was  admitted  to  be  the  living  bearer  of  all  oral  precepts. 
Halacha,  Midrash,  Talmud  and  Agada  he  so  handled  in  his  dis- 
courses that  the  benumbed  body  of  the  nation  soon  revived.  The 
prohibition  to  use  no  iron  tools  at  the  building  of  the  altar,  he 
explained  thus  :  "  Ii'on  is  the  smybol  of  war  and  strife,  the  altar 
on  the  contrary,  the  symbol  of  peace  and  expiation;  and  therefore 
iron  should  not  come  in  contact  with  the  altar."  From  this  he 
inferred  the  value  of  peace.  Besides  Rabbi  Jochanan,  seven  Tanaim 
constituted  the  doctrinal  office.  The  fifth — Abba  Saul  ben  Botnit — 
was  formerly  a  wine  merchant  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  his  business  was 
so  extraordinarily  conscientious,  that  he  would  not  even  keep  the  sedi- 
ment for  himself,  because  he  thought  it  belonged  to  the  buyer.  He 
saved  it  up  to  a  quantity  of  three  hundred  quarts,  and  then  took  it  to 
the  treasurer  of  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem.  Although  told  that  he  was 
entitled  to  it,  he  declined  making  use  of  the  same.  Upon  his  death- 
bed he  could  hold  out  his  hand  and  boast  of  "  the  hand  which  was 
always  scrupulously  honest  in  giving  measure." 

Of  these  Tanaim,  Eachum  of  Gimso  became  a  man  of  sjiecial  im- 
portance. Rapoport  has  made  him  the  hero  of  many  wonderful 
adventures,  of  which  however,  all  seemed  to  have  turned  in  his 
favor,  so  that  even  the  name  of  his  birthplace  was  altered,  in 
suggesting  the  motto — "  This  even  will  tend  to  some  good " — 
(Gamsule  toba).  But  when  an  old  man,  the  dreadful  misfortune 
befel  him  of  becoming  blind  and  palsied.  In  order  not  to  reproach 
the  justice  of  Heaven,  he  claimed  that  this  misfortune  was  a  just 
punishment,  and  to  all  who  visited  him  he  observed  that  he  was 
deserving  the  affliction  in  consequence  of  his  own  crime.  One  time 
he  carried  his  father-in-law  many  presents,  which  were  packed  upon 
asses,  and  having  met  a  poor  man  who  begged  of  him  some  assist- 
ance, he  kept  him  waiting  till  he  had  unloaded  ;  but  in  looking  for 
him  afterward,  in  order  to  relieve  him,  he  found  him  dead.  On 
account  of  the  grief  he  suifered  in  having  thus  been  the  cause  of  the 
death  of  this  person,  he  wished  himself  to  become  blind,  and  that 
his  hands  and  feet  should  get  palsied,  because  they  had  not  shown 
moi'e  compassion  for  the  poor  man  ;  and,  consequently,  very  soon 
after  this  impi'ecation  he  thus  became  afflicted.     His  disciples  in  be- 


198  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

holding-  his  sufferings  could  not  guard  against  expressing  their  grief. 
"  Woe  to  us,  to  see  you  in  this  state  !"  but  Rachum  replied  :  "  Woe 
to  me,  if  you  were  not  to  behold  me  in  this  condition." 

Jochanan  was  also,  in  a  political  point  of  yiew,  a  protection  for 
all  the  new  communities  of  his  time.  His  friendly  and  mild  charac- 
ter, in  which  he  resembled  his  teacher,  Hillel,  he  made  also  use  of 
toward  the  heathen.  He  saluted  them  always  in  the  most  fi'iendly 
manner  wherever  he  met  them.  But  as  much  as  the  Flavian 
emperors  were  inclined  to  show  benignity  to  Jochanan's  kind  dis- 
position, many  oppressions  nevertheless  took  place.  Many  acres  of 
land  the  Jews  were  deprived  of,  and  bloody  banditti  made  great 
havoc  among  them. 

Rabbi  Jochanan,  in  describing  the  state  of  things,  makes  use  of 
these  striking  words  :  "  I  saw  once  a  woman  belonging  to  the  rich 
and  respectable  house.  Nicodemus  ben  Garian  of  Jerusalem,  how  she 
was  gathering  at  Maon  some  barley  corns  fi'om  under  the  horses' 
hoofs,  in  order  to  support  herself  with  this  food.  This  scene  made  a 
most  painful  impression  upon  me;  the  more  so  because  I  could  bear 
witness  to  her  former  fortune  and  splendor.  'Unliappy  people,' 
exclaimed  I ;  '  you  would  not  serve  your  God,  so  you  must  now  be 
subject  to  strange  nations;  you  would  not  contribute  half  a  shekel 
toward  the  Temple  then,  you  are  compelled  now  to  pay  fifteen 
shekels  for  supjDorting  the  state  of  your  enemies;  you  would  not  keep 
in  order  the  roads  and  streets  for  the  pilgrims  who  came  to  the  fes- 
tivals, and  so  you  must  now  keep  the  watch-houses  in  the  vineyards, 
to  which  the  Romans  have  laid  claim.' " 

The  unanimity  of  tlie  Jewish  nation  in  their  dispersion  is  entirely 
the  work  of  Rabbi  Jochanan,  who  well  understood  how  to  unite 
even  the  most  distant  congregations.  Jochanan  died  upon  his  bed 
in  the  arms  of  his  disciples.  His  conversation  with  them  before  his 
death  gives  some  insight  into  his  inner  feelings.  The  disciples  were 
astonished  to  behold  their  high-spirited  master  despairing  and  pusil- 
lanimous in  the  hour  of  death.  He  told  them  that  he  did  not  fear 
death,  but  the  appearing  before  the  Eternal  Judge,  whose  justice  is 
incorruptible.  He  blessed  his  disciples  previous  to  his  death  with 
these  significant  words  :  "May  the  fear  of  God  be  as  efficacious  in 
all  your  acts  as  the  fear  of  men."  He  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty,  and  it  is  said  of  him  that,  after  his  death,  the  brilliancy 
of  wisdom  became  extinct.  Thus  lived  and  died  a  man  who  possessed 
energy  enough  not  to  despair  at  the  sight  of  ruin  and  decay,  but  in 
the  downfall  of  his  nation  gathered  anew  all  that  was  suitable  for 
building,  and  upon  a  firmer  basis  rebuilt  the  edifice  of  his  fathers. 

L.  Philippson. 

Captious — Given  to  cavils;  ensnaring.  I     Shekel — An  ancient  Jewish  coin,  in  value 

Imprecation —Prayer  by  which  any  evil  is    about  two  shillings  and  sixpence.— -En^/t«A. 
wished. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


199 


THE  ROSE  OF  JERICHO. 


Tknant  of  the  trackless  waste, 
Thou  croiichest  'neath  the  sand, 

And  should  I  pluck  thee  in  my  haste, 
Thou  shrivelest  in  my  hand. 

The  hot  sun  scoreheth  all  thy  growth. 
And  when  eve's  shadows  creep, 

The   hoarse   cries  of  the   prowling  fox 
Lull  thee  off  to  sleep. 

1  seize  thee,  tiny  floweret, 

And  bid  my  servant  bring 
A  goblet  full  of  water  pure, 

Fresh  from  the  foaming  spring. 

I  bathe  thee,  gentle  flower  mine, 
In  the  liquid  crystalline. 
And  each  pearly  rootlet  feels 
The  impulse  of  a  power  divine, 
While  the  leaflets  swift  assume 
The  grandeur  of  their  tinted 
bloom. 


Kot  alone  the  rose  can  dwell 
Confined  in  a  sandy  shell; 
Frequently  a  faith  divine 
Is  buried  'neath  the  crust  of  time. 

And  men  deify  the  crust 
As  they  grope  amid  the  dust. 

While  the  truth  that  hidden  lies 
Is  lost  amid  the  centuries. 

Till  the  hero,  prophet,  bard, 
Boldly  grasps  the  flower. 

Plucks  it  from  its  pent-up  cell 
And  unfolds  its  power. 

Shows  the  truth  in  fossil  faiths, 
In  rites  and  dogmas  dear; 

When  translated  into  life 
The  blossoms  bright  appear 


EooTLET — The  fibrous  part  of  a  root. 
Deify — To  j^raise  excessively. 
Bard— A  poet. 


J.  M. 


Fossil— That  which  is  dug  out  of  the  earth. 
Dogma— Settled  notion. 


RABBI  AKIBA  BEN  JOSEPH. 

[118  A.] 
R.  JocHANAN  BEN  Sakkai  was  like  a  cautious  gardener  wlio  carefully 
separates  the  sound  gerinen,  although  in  a  vigorous  state,  fronitlie 
dropping  mother-stem,  transplanting  and  fostering  it  in  a  favorable 
soil,  till  he  can  make  sure  as  to.  its  future  by  having  raised  a  power- 
ful growing  stem.  But  how  different  was  the  character  of  Rabbi 
Akiba  ben  Joseph,  who  shone  in  the  next  generation.  Fiery,  ener- 
getical, ingenious  and  armed  with  the  sword  of  intellect,  he  shunned 
not  even  the  sword  of  iron,  although  dripping  with  the  blood  of 
martyrdom!  The  history  of  his  youth  is  traditional.  According  to 
some  he  was  a  proselyte,  and  it  is  a  certain  fact  that  Rabbi  Akiba, 
even  at  an  advanced  age,  was  very  ignorant,  for  he  himself  afterward 
relates,  that  in  his  state  of  utter  ignorance  he  hated  all  those  who 
were  acquainted  wdth  the  law.  That  he  lived  with  his  wife  in  penu- 
rious circumstances  is  a  certainty;  from  trustworthy  report  it  is 
known  that  she  sold  her  braids  of  hair  in  order  to  procure  the 
necessaries  of  life.  All  these  obstacles,  which  would  have  proved 
disheartening  to  any  one  else,  served  only  to  impress  him  with  the 
stamp  of  magnanimity;  his  robust  natiu'e  conquered  all  obstacles, 
overcame  all  difficulties,  and  placed  him  before  the  world  as  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  teachers  and  scholars. 


200  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

He  married  the  daugliter  of  Akiba  Calba,  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
resj)ectable  men  in  Jeiusalem,  who  being  against  the  marriage,  de- 
prived the  daughter  of  her  dowry,  and  thus  they  had  to  put  up  with 
tlie  greatest  misery.    But  they  nevertheless  felt  happy  and  contented, 
and  one  day  the  pious  wife  urged  upon  her  husband  the  necessity  of 
obtaining  wisdom  and  knowledge,  and  that  he  should  for  that  pur- 
pose depart,  to  seek  amid  the  wise  and  learned  men  in  Israel  to  im- 
l^rove  his  mind,  and  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  teaching  of 
the  holy  law.      He  at  once  took  her  advice,  left  his  beloved  wife  and 
remained  away  twelve  years,  and  during  this  long  period  the  pious 
wife  had  to  endure  many  a  hardship,  besides  becoming  the  scorn  of 
her  neighbors,  who  upbraided  her  for  her  levity  in  contracting  such 
a  marriage,  trying  to  shake  her  confidence  as  to  her  husband's  return. 
"  As  far  as  it  rests  with  me,"  she  always  replied,  "  he  may  even  stay 
away  another  twelve  years,  till  he  has  fathomed  the  depth  of  our  holy 
law,  and  is  able  to  return  as  a  wise  man  in  IsraeL"     Akiba,  hearing 
the  opinion  of  his  pious  wife,  really  returned  once  more  to  the  wise 
men  in  Israel;  passing  among  them  another  twelve  years,  and  then 
made  his  way  home,  followed  by  a  host  of  pupils,  all  listening  re- 
spectfully to  the  instructions  of  the  highly-renowned  teacher,  who  dur- 
ing his  long  absence  had  stored  ujd  much  wisdom  and  learning,  thus 
gaining  for  himself  fame  and  reputation,  so  that  now  the  whole  town 
came  to  meet  him.    His  beloved  wife  also,  who  had  thus  waited  so  long 
and  endured  so  much  want  and  hardship,  did  not  hesitate  to  go  to  meet 
him ;  but  the  wicked  neighbors  again  sneered  at  her,  saying  that, 
poorly  clad  as  she  then  was,  she  should  certainly  feel  ashamed  to 
venture  u])on  such  an  errand;  but  she  did  not  mind  their  reproaches, 
and  merely  replied  that  the  pious  well  knew  the  heart  of  the  needy. 
At  his  approach  some  of  his  pupils  tried  to  prevent  his  wife  from 
accosting  him,  but  Akiba  said:  "  Pray,  let  her  be  !    Whatever  wisdom 
and  learning  I  may  possess,  whatever  you  may  have  acquired  of  me, 
we  have  to  thank  her  for.'    Her  father  also,  to  whom  the  news  of  his 
son-in-law's  fame,  together  with  the  faithfulness  of  his  daughter,  had 
become  known,  was  so  moved  that  he  at  once  freed  himself  of  his  vow, 
so  that  he  might  be  able  to  reinstate  them  in  their  possessions. 

From  this  time  Rabbi  Akiba  lived  in  affluence,  and  his  gratitude 
toward  his  much  tried  wife  was  quite  equal  to  the  sacrifices  which 
she  so  readily  had  made  for  him.  Everybody  was  surprised,  dazzled 
and  animated  by  Rabbi  Akiba's  great  erudition.  Rabbi  Tarphon, 
who  surpassed  Rabbi  Akiba,  formally  observed  to  him  in  a  respectful 
manner:  "Whoever  forsakes  you,  forsakes  life  eternal;  and  whatever 
tradition  neglects,  you  supply  by  your  interpretations."  Rabbi  Josua, 
his  former  teacher,  also  spoke  of  him  with  admiration:  "Who  will 
take  the  clod  from  the  eyes  of  Rabbi  Jochanan  ben  Sakkai,  so  that  he 
may  see  how  his  apprehension  was  but  vain,  that  one  day  a  Halacha 
might  be  given  up  for  want  of  support  in  the  scriptural  text,  and  now. 


FOR  THE  USB  OF  ISRAELITES.  201 

beliolcl!  Rabbi  Akiba  has  fovind  a  proper  hold  for  it."  One  was 
obliged  to  confess  that  the  law  had  been  forgotten,  or  at  least  had  be- 
come neglected,  if  l-Jabbi  Akiba  had  not  sought  to  sustain  the  same. 

His  home  was  in  Bene-Eerack,  where  he  also  kept  his  academy; 
but  he  often  came  to  Tabneh,  on  account  of  being  a  member  of  the 
Sanhedrim,  and  it  hapjDened  but  seldom  that  anything  was  resolved 
upon  without  his  presence,  for  they  said:  "  In  his  absence,  the  want 
of  law  is  felt."  He  was,  however,  in  spite  of  the  homage  paid  him  on 
all  sides,  not  the  least  proud,  and  always  showed  the  same,  as  pre- 
viously, due  regard  for  his  former  teachers  and  colleagues.  Owing 
to  his  modest  character  his  influence  under  Rabbi  Gamaliel's  pat- 
riarchate, and  later  under  Rabbi  Josua's  management,  did  not  be- 
come very  prominent;  but  later,  after  the  demise  of  the  latter,  he  was 
considered  the  chief  of  the  Jewish  body,  and  he  it  was  who  princi- 
pally assisted  during  the  last  decade  of  that  century  in  bringing 
about  those  tenible  occurrences  which,  under  the  name  of  the  revolt 
of  BarKochba,  threatened  to  shake  the  whole  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

This  is  the  period  in  which  Rabbi  Akiba,  with  the  same  ardor  he 
always  administered  the  law,  also  tried  to  transform  the  political 
position  of  the  Jews,  although  to  the  ruin  of  himself  and  numerous 
others.  These  events,  however,  made  an  end  of  the  past,  for  this 
last  exj^losion  of  the  Jewish  love  for  libeiiy  settled  the  future  so  far, 
that  the  Jews  should  henceforth  exist  among  the  nations  as  members 
of  a  civil  community. 

The  history  of  the  revolt  of  Bar-Kochba  cannot  be  deHneated  here, 
and  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say  that  Rabbi  Akiba  took  an  active  part 
in  the  whole  preparations,  which  lasted  nearly  twelve  years.  He 
undertook  long  journeys,  visiting  almost  every  spot  where  Jewish 
congregations  could  be  met  with,  in  order  to  rouse  them  to  action, 
desert  Rome,  and  re-establish  the  Jewish  realm.  It  is  stated  that  he 
himself  raised  24,000  men  full  of  coui-age  and  exjDectations,  and  the 
revolt  spread  afterward  to  such  extent  that  Dio  Cassius  mentions 
the  number  of  Jewish  warriors  at  580,000  men.  The  war  lasted 
three  years  and  a  half,  and  finished  wdth  the  siege  of  Bethar,  which 
lasted  twelve  months  before  it  was  taken  on  the  9th  Ab.,  135. 

After  this  the  most  awful  persecutions  awaited  the  Jewish  nation, 
and  the  enemy  resolved  upon  annihilating  not  only  the  Jewish  people, 
but  also  Jewish  nationality  altogether.  They  were  threatened  with 
the  severest  punishment  if  they  should  venture  to  keep  circumcision, 
the  Sabbath,  or  occuj)y  themselves  with  Jewish  law  any  further. 
Thus,  numerous  were  the  victims;  ten  especially  who  suffered  maiiyr- 
dom  (of  whom  seven  are  named  to  us)  have  become  solemnized 
even  unto  this  day.  Soon  also  the  turn  of  the  aged  Rabbi  Akiba 
came,  who  was  the  third  of  these  ten  martyi's,  being  charged  with 
having  held  discourses  secretly.  He  was,  according  to  the  "  Calendar 
of  these  unhappy  days,"  thrown  into  a  dungeon  on  the  5th  of  Tishri, 


302 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


and  Ticinus  Rufus,  the  governor,  treated  liim  with  unsparing  severity. 
At  length  the  melancholy  hour  of  his  execution  arrived,  and  Rufus, 
a  pliable  tool  of  Hadrian's  vengeance,  ordered  the  agonies  of  death 
to  be  increased  by  other  painful  tortures,  and  the  skin  was  torn  oli' 
his  body  with  iron  horse-combs.  His  noble  soul  expired  with  the 
confession  of  faith  in  the  Eternal  One,  *'Adonai  Echad." 

Rabbi  Akiba's  death,  which  was,  like  his  life,  extraordinary,  brought 
about  a  terrible  emptiness  among  his  contemporaries,  who  mourned 
that,  with  him,  the  arms  of  the  law  were  broken,  and  the  springs  of 
wisdom  shaken.  He  left  but  one  son  and  a  few  pupils,  who  made  his 
name  the  most  celebrated  of  the  day.     Thus  died  Rabbi  Akiba. 

From  his  grave  bloomed  a  time  of  peace,  for  in  a  spiritual  point  of 
view  he  j^repared  the  path  for  Jewish  posterity;  and  as  to  political 
matters,  the  Vesuvius  of  the  Jewish  nation  had  now  ceased  burning, 
the  last  eru^ption  Avas  over,  and  three  centuries  of  rest,  of  civil  equal- 
ity and  honor,  began  to  dawn. 
Db.  Sachs. 

De.  Michael  Sachs  was  bom  in  Glogau,  1808,  and  died  in  Berlin,  186-1.  He  was  an  eminent 
pulpit  orator,  a  man  of  great  literary  attainments,  whose  works  were  much  sought  for 
among  co-religionists,  and  who,  on  account  of  his  kind  and  amiable  disposition,  was  much 
esteemed  and  honored  by  everybody. 

Proselyte  —  One  brought  over  to  a  new  I      Erudition — Learning, 
opinion;  a  convert.  Decade— The  sum  often. 

To  Fathom — To  penetrate.  | 


HOLINESS. 


Be  holy,  man,  the  Lord  commands, 
Like  angels,  goodness,  love; 

Lift  up  thine  eye,  thy  heart,  and  hands, 
To  God  enthroned  above. 

In  yonder  sea  of  scarry  light, 
\Vhere  pure  seraphim  shine, 

Immerse  thy  soul  with  pure  delight — 
Let  hohuess  be  thine. 

To  man,  to  God's  own  image,  ding 

With  love's  refulgent  fire; 
The  true  and  good  to  man  to  bring 

Let  be  thy  heart's  desire. 


For  wisdom  live,  for  virtue  glow, 
With  God  thy  soul  entwine; 

An  angel  be  on  earth  below — 
And  holiness  be  thine. 

The  choicest  gifts,  all  joys  divine, 

By  holiness  are  won; 
It's  bliss    from  virtue's  sacred  shrine. 

Salvation's  precious  sun. 

The  hallowed  soul  with  raptm'e  sings 

The  Lord's  eternal  praise, 
She  soars  aloft  on  golden  wings 

To  heaven's  purest  grace, 

A.  J. 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  PALESTINE  AND  THE  MISHNA. 

[70-200  A.] 
The  Jamnensian  Sanhedrim  became,  after  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple,  the  heart  of  the  Jewish  nation;  since,  from  this  source, 
life  and  activity  tiowed  to  the  remotest  congregations,  who  in  case  they 
looked  for  approbation  and  sacredness  of  character,  were  oliligcd 
to  adhere  strictly  to  all  fixed  regulations  and  religious  appoint- 
ments proceeding  from  that  body.     The  people  considered  the  ex- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  203 

isteiice  of  tlie  Sanhedrim  as  a  residue  of  tlie  state,  and  tliey  paid 
tlie  president  thereof  (Nassi),  who  Avas  a  descendant  of  Hillel  and  of 
the  royal  blood  of  David,  ahiiost  princely  honor  and  homage.  The 
Greek  aj^iJellation  seems  to  jDoint  out  that  the  Patriarchate  amounted 
to  a  princely  dignity,  being  styled  Ethnarch,  signifying  a  prince  of 
the  people — a  position  almost  as  high  as  royalty;  even  the  usual  title 
of  Patriarch  includes  a  function  belonging  only  to  the  sovereign. 
Next  to  the  Patriarchs  were  their  repres  entatives  (Ab-bet-din)  and 
their  Chacham  (the  wisei.  The  authority  of  the  Patriarch  allowed, 
however,  an  undiminished  independence  to  a  few  managers  of  schools, 
to  enable  them  to  declare  their  disciples  judges  and  teachers  of  the 
jjeople  without  requiring  the  sanction  of  the  Patriarch.  This  dig- 
nity was  bestowed  upon  the  disciples  in  a  solemn  manner.  In  the 
presence  of  two  members,  the  master  placed  his  hand  ujDon  the 
head  of  the  selected  pupil,  not  as  was  the  case  with  the  disciples  of 
the  prophets;  it  was  but  a  mere  acknowledgment  that  the  one  thus 
initiated  was  worthy  of  undertaking  certain  duties,  for  which  his 
cai^acity  had  been  sufficiently  proved.  This  form  of  consecration, 
and  the  placing  of  the  hands  upon  the  head,  was  called  Semicha, 
signifying  as  much  as  nomination  .or  ordination.  The  one  ordained 
was  styled  Soken  (old),  which  is  almost  similar  to  the  title  of  Sen- 
ator; for,  by  this  ordination,  they  also  obtained  the  privilege  of  be- 
coming members  of  the  High  Council,  if  ever  chosen  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  Jewish  nation,  owing  to  the  differences  of  sects  and 
jDarties,  must  have  become  dissolved,  had  not  thus  the  inner  unity 
been  constantly  maintained. 

The  principal  efficacy  of  the  Patriarch  consisted  in  presiding 
over  the  solemn  assemblies  of  the  Sanhedrim.  He  was  the  foremost 
in  these  great  meetings,  surrounded  by  the  most  important  members, 
sitting  in  a  semi-circle  before  him.  At  the  back  of  the  members, 
who,  in  those  times  amounted  to  seventy,  there  sat  in  rows  those 
who  passed  the  ordination,  and  behind  these  again,  the  pupils  were 
standing ;  while  the  last  of  all  were  the  people,  lying  on  the  floor, 
and  listening  to  the  proceedings.  The  Patriarch  opened  the  meet- 
ing, either  by  choosing  from  the  code  of  laws  some  subject  for  dis- 
cussion, or,  by  making  use  of  the  form  "  question,"  he  called  upon 
the  members  to  speak.  In  his  own  harrangue,  he  quietly  communi- 
cated a  few  sentences  to  the  speaker  (Meturgeman)  standing  next 
to  him,  which  the  latter  had  to  expound  and  to  illustrate  in  a  rhe- 
torical manner.  Everybody  was  at  libeiiy  to  start  subjects  for  de- 
bate, even  the  people  who  were  listening  to  the  discourse.  A  spe- 
cial and  imjDortant  business  of  the  Patriarch  was  the  fixing  of  the 
festivals,  there  being  no  calendar  in  those  days;  and  in  possessing 
the  right  of  regulating  the  same,  the  remotest  congregations  were 
entirely  dependent  on  the  Patriarch,  and  thus  a  bond  was  effected 
whereby  the  dispersed  of  Israel  were  continually  kept  together. 


304  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

In  general,  the  religious  life  was  arranged  by  the  Sanhech-im  and 
Patriarch  together.  The  destruction  of  the  Temple  had  not  wholly 
embarrassed  the  Jewish  nation.  Constant  prayers,  the  study  of  the 
law,  and  charity,  atoned  for  the  sacrifices;  and,  except  the  observ- 
ance of  sacrifical  worship,  the  whole  of  the  law  was  performed 
in  the  strictest  manner.  The  insurrection  under  Bai'-Kochba,  and 
the  persecutions  on  account  thereof,  indeed,  for  a  time,  disturbed 
the  existing  state  of  things;  but  the  Jews  being  already  humble 
through  misfortunes,  were  not  yet  annihilated.  They  were  reduced 
in  numbers,  but  in  no  wise  exterminated,  for  they  still  continued  to 
exist  in  one  idea,  which  always  kept  on  generating  as  long  as  one 
only  w\as  left.  Besides,  the  Romans  did  not  contemplate  the  ex- 
teiTQination  of  the  guiltless,  their  existence  being  found  necessary 
for  enriching  the  capital.  The  teachers  very  soon  raised  their  voices 
again  in  all  the  synagogues,  assuming  once  more  the  care  of  the  re- 
ligious life  in  a  vigorous  manner. 

The  most  important  among  them,  whom  we  shall  notice  here,  were 
Rabbi  Meier,  highly  accomplished,  sagacious  and  bold;  Kabbi  Je- 
huda  ben  Ilai,  brave,  tender-hearted,  vigorous,  and  yet  amiable  in 
ap]5earance;  Rabbi  Simon  ben  Jochai,  sensible,  penetrating,  but 
gloomy  and  stern  on  all  occasions;  Rabbi  Jose  ben  Hilephta,  serene, 
and  well-balanced;  and  Rabbi  Simon  ben  Gamliel,  who  was  very 
young,  when  he  escaped  from  Bethar  at^the  time.  All  these  men, 
except  the  last  named,  carried  on  a  handicraft,  the  same  as  all 
teachers  before  that  period,  and  yet  they  could  find  ample  time  for 
expounding  the  law  which  they  inherited.  Rabbi  Meier,  of  non- 
Jewish  descent,  was  the  favorite  pupil  of  Rabbi  Akiba,  and  main- 
tained himself  by  copying  the  Holy  Law,  which  he  was  able  to  write 
from  memory.  His  delivery  was  animated,  owing  to  his  great  sa- 
gacity, and  the  illustrations  he  gave  by  means  of  fables  and  allegories. 
His  wife,  Bernniah,  was  also  celebrated  for  her  erudition.  Rabbi  J  e- 
huda  ben  Rai  was  a  cooper,  and  deserves  the  praises  of  the  rabbis, 
on  account  of  his  zeal  and  his  fi'ugality,  although  he  was  in 
affluent  circumstances;  and  by  reason  of  his  demeanor  under  mis- 
fortunes, and  the  excellent  method  he  adopted  in  the  way  of  in- 
stimcting  his  pujDils.  Very  often  he  made  use  of  a  barrel  for  a 
pulpit,  and  he  never  failed  to  speak  in  great  praise  of  industry.  The 
clothes  he  wore  were  all  made  by  his  wife;  and  when  it  happened 
that  his  new  garments  were  not  finished,  he  neglected  to  attend  a  ' 
festive  meeting,  in  order  to  avoid  dressing  himself  in  a  suit  borrowed 
from  another.  On  the  day  when  his  beloved  son  died,  he  delivered 
a  funeral  discourse  in  spite  of  his  sorrow.  Of  his  excellent  knowl- 
edge of  Judaism  and  his  acuteness  in  decisions,  every  page  of  the 
Mishna  bears  ample  proofs.  Above  600  of  his  sayings  are  there  re- 
corded. Rabbi  Simon  ben  Jochai  made  study  his  sole  occupation, 
and  attended  especially  to  private  instruction;  he  was  a  rigid  teacher 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  205 

of  morality,  as  all  his  utterances  of  dissatisfaction  with  this  world 
coiToborate,  and  havin^f  always  some  higiicr  aim  before  his  eyes. 
He  was  sent  to  Rome  by  the  rabbis,  in  order  to  entreat  the  emperor 
to  recall  the  prohibitions  which  were  of  an  oppressive  nature.  His 
exertions  in  this  matter  proved  very  successful.  The  prohibitions 
were  removed,  and  he  received  great  honor  on  his  return,  for  it  was 
entirely  attributed  to  his  influence  that  this  great  favor  was  granted; 
yet  through  him  they  had  unfortunately  to  suiier  j^ersecution  after- 
ward. He  spoke  once  against  the  Romans,  on  account  of  which  he 
was  betrayed,  condemed  to  death,  and  had  to  make  his  escape  to  some 
hiding-place,  where  he  remained  for  a  length  of  time. 

Rabbi  Jose  ben  Hilephta,  a  cunier  by  trade,  was  a  model  of  pru- 
dence, clearness,  and  modesty.  "  I  am,  "  said  he,  "  more  ready  to 
listen  than  to  teach  others;  to  die  in  the  midst  of  my  duties,  rather 
than  in  my  bed  ingloriousl}'- ;  to  do  too  much  than  too  little ;  I  prefer 
gathering  alms  for  the  poor,  instead  of  spending  my  own;  suffer 
wrong,  instead  of  practicing  it  myself."  Concerning  knowledge  he 
said,  "  Whoever  honors  science,  is  worthy  of  honor;  but  he  who  de- 
spises it,  is  worthy  of  contempt." 

But  Tiberias  had  now  become  the  seat  of  the  high-school  and  the 
Sanhedrim.  Tiberias  was  in  a  flourishing  state,  a  splendid  town, 
jileasantly  situated,  and  receiving  continual^,  ever  since  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  more  Jewish  inhabitants.  At  first,  these  were 
mostly  Galileans,  whom  the  rabbis  despised,  and  were  generally 
looked  upon  as  belonging  to  a  different  nation,  on  account  of  their 
different  dialect,  vulgar  manners,  and  aversion  to  the  law.  There- 
fore the  rabbis  came  much  later  to  this  place,  and  only  after  many 
inliabitants  from  the  south  had  settled  theie.  The  newly-formed 
Sanhedrim  were  a  facsimile  of  the  higher  Council  of  Jerusalem. 
Rabbi  bimon  ben  Gamliel  became  here  Nassi;  Rabbi  Nathan,  Ab-bet- 
din;  and  Rabbi  Meier,  Chacham.  Tiberias  soon  received  the  honor 
of  being  named  Jerusalem,  Zion,  and,  by  preference,  the  Sanhedrim 
were  called  the  great  Law  Court;  it  was  a  fresh  center  for  the  total 
guidance  of  all  the  Jews  in  the  Roman  Empire.  Very  soon  the 
youths  flocked  to  this  place,  in  order  to  satisfy  their  cravings  after 
knowledgfe. 


n. 

The  school  at  Sepphoris,  established  by  Rabbi  Jose  ben  Hilephta, 
soon  enjoyed  the  fi-uits  of  its  labors,  as  well  as  great  renown.  Many 
others  were  established.  The  knowledge  of  the  law  was  the  only 
branch  taught.  The  Pentateuch  especially  was  expounded,  and  the 
traditions  concerning  the  precepts  of  the  law,  such  as  the  Scriptures 
did  not  fully  contain,  were  continually  imparted  to  the  j)upils;  but 
other  attainments,  as  auxiliary  science,  were  also  necessary  for  that 
purpose.     Therefore,  the  rabbis  engaged  in  the  study  of  physics, 


206  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

medicine,  matliematics,  etc.  The  number  of  accomplished  scholars 
who  received  their  training  and  education  in  these  schools,  after  the 
destrviction  of  the  Temple,  and  during  four  generations,  may  be 
counted  by  thousands,  and  hundreds  of  venerable  names  occupy 
niches  in  fame.  After  receiving  the  Semicha,  they  proceeded  to  the 
congregations,  in  order  to  assume  the  instruction  and  the  religious 
guidance  of  the  people.  The  sacrifices  which  these  God-fearing 
men  brought  on  all  occasions  saved  the  nation  from  becoming  ruined 
through  misery  and  ignorance.  The  congregation  of  Simonias, 
south  of  SejDphoris,  petitioned  the  Patriarch  for  a  person  to  deliver 
public  lectures,  decide  points  of  law,  preside  over  the  synagogue, 
execute  acts  belonging  to  the  code  of  laws,  instruct  the  youth,  and 
perform  all  the  general  duties  of  the  congTegation.  This  list  of 
duties  proves  sufficiently  what  was  required  in  those  times  of  a  pub- 
lic teacher. 

All  teachers  of  the  law,  commencing  with  Simon  the  Just,  were 
generally  known  under  the  Chaldaic  name  of  Tanaim,  which  signifies 
"  repeater "  of  the  law,  because  their  j)riiicipal  occupation  was  to 
impress  upon  the  memory  the  interpretation  of  the  received  oral  law, 
and  in  making  it  clear  to  the  mind. 

At  the  head  of  the  fourth  and  last  lineage  of  Tanaim,  after  the  de- 
struction of  the  Temple,  stood  Eabbi  Jehudah  the  Holy,  who,  in  fact, 
was  the  most  celebrated  of  the  Tanaim  and  the  most  j^owerful 
Patriarch.  He  was  the  seventh  member  of  the  house  of  Hill  el,  and 
under  his  care  it  reached  the  highest  point  of  splendor.  Eabbi 
Jehudah  was  favored  with  extraordinary  blessings,  and  it  was  pro- 
verbially stated  of  him,  "Rabbi  Jehudah's  stalls  of  cattle  have  more 
value  than  the  treasm-y  of  the  King  of  Persia  is  possessed  of."  He  led 
a  life  of  frugality,  made  little  selfish  use  of  his  wealth,  spent  it  for  the 
maintenance  of  his  disciples,  both  native  and  foreign,  who  flocked 
round  him  during  his  Patriarchate,  in  great  numbers,  and  were 
kejDt  entirely  at  his  own  expense.  At  the  time  of  the  terrible 
famine,  which,  with  the  plague,  raged  all  over  the  Roman  Empire,  this 
Jewish  prince  opened  his  storerooms,  and  distributed  corn  among 
all  classes  who  stood  in  need  of  his  assistance.  The  seat  of  the 
Patriarchate  was  at  first  at  Bet  Shearim,  northeast  from  Sepphoris, 
but  was  afterward  removed  to  Sepj)horis.  In  consideration  of  his 
high  repute,  he  was  plainly  called  Rabbi,  as  if  no  other  teacher  of 
the  law  but  himself  had  proved  of  any  imj^ortance,  and  that  he  was 
the  law  exclusively.  But  the  principal  act,  however,  whereby  his 
name  has  obtained  a  lasting  reputation,  was  owing  to  his  represent- 
ing the  close  of  an  epoch,  which  brought  about  the  completion  of 
the  Mishna. 

The  law  handed  down,  and  the  interpretation  thereof, were  hitherto 
transj)lanted  through  oral  communications  from  teachers  unto 
pupils,  without  being  written  down  or  properly  classified.     But  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  207 

pressure  of  adverse  times  just  commenced,  aud  this  prevented  many 
from  studying-  tlie  law,  for  Israel  became  dispersed  more  and  more, 
even  to  all  the  corners  of  the  earth.  It  was  greatly  feared,  hence, 
that  the  law  was  in  danger  of  being  forgotten.  In  order  to  prevent 
such  a  catastrophe,  Rabbi  Jelmdah  the  Holy  went  to  work  and 
gathered  the  debates  and  disquisitions  of  the  different  schools  on 
the  law  as  handed  down  to  them,  examined  their  correctness,  di\'ided 
them  according  to  their  contents  into  six  volumes,  and  these 
again  into  chapters  and  sections.  This  collection  of  the  law  con- 
tained everything  that  could  only  be  expected  of  such  a  work;  com- 
pleteness, brevity,  clearness  of  expression,  and  especially  proper 
order,  so  that  the  whole  could  easily  be  reviewed.  The  Mishna  of 
Rabbi  Jehudah  soon  attragted  great  attention,  and  his  numerous 
disciples  diffused  the  same  over  the  remotest  parts  of  the  country. 
Thus  it  became  exclusively  the  text  and  guide  of  the  instruction  im- 
parted at  the  schools.  Rabbi  Jehudah  managed  the  Patriarchate 
during  thirty  years.  With  great  resignation  he  awaited  his  dissolu- 
tion. He  ordered  his  sons  and  his  schoolfellows  to  appear  before  him, 
and  imjDressed  upon  them  his  last  will.  The  Sanhedric  college  he 
instructed  to  avoid  aU  ceremonies  at  his  funeral,  not  to  permit  in  the 
different  towns  any  funeral  solemnities,  and  that  after  a  lapse  of  thirty 
days  the  reopening  of  the  assembly  of  teachers  should  take  place. 

Great  numbers  of  the  population  from  neighboring  towns  had 
come  from  Sepphoris,  on  hearing  of  the  apj)roaching  end  of  the 
Patriarch,  in  order  to  show  their  sympathy.  As  if  such  an  event 
were  impossible,  the  mass  of  the  people  really  began  to  threaten  any 
one  who  should  venture  to  bring  the  mournful  news  of  his  death. 
The  eagerness  and  the  excitement  were  indeed  very  great,  so  that 
a  fearful  outburst  of  grief  was  apprehended.  Bar  Kappara,  cele- 
brated as  rabbi  as  well  as  poet,  acquainted  them,  however,  with  the 
sad  news  without  using  any  words  for  the  purpose.  With  his  head 
wrajDped  up,  and  his  clothes  rent,  he  told  the  people,  "Angels  and 
mortals  struggled  for  the  ark  of  the  covenant.  The  angels  con- 
quered, and  vanished  is  the  ark  of  the  covenant." 

Upon  this  announcement,  the  jDCople  raised  a  cry  of  grief:  "  He 
is  dead."  Bar  Kappara  answered:  "  You  said  it.''  The  lamentations 
of  the  f>opulation,  it  is  stated,  could  be  heard  as  far  as-  Gabbata,  a 
distance  of  three  jDarts  of  a  mile  fi'om  Sepphoris.  The  funeral  was 
largely  attended;  a  vast  concourse  followed  the  deceased  from  Sep- 
phoris to  Bet  Charim,  and  funeral  orations  were  delivered  in  eighteen 
synagogues  (200). 

The  management  in  the  schools  was  now  different  from  that  since 
the  Mishna  was  expounded,  all  Mishnaic  doctrines  which  seemed  con- 
tradictory were  solved,  and  these  were  made  to  agree  with  the  tra- 
ditional law  definitions,  which,  in  the  collection  of  Rabbi  Jehudah  the 
Holy,  had  not  been  received.     Such  traditions  were   collected  by 


208 


SCHOOL  ANI)  FAMILY  READER 


some  of  Jeliudah's  disciples,  and  were  called  Boreitha,  foreign 
Mishua,  and  Tosipbta,  supplements  to  the  Mishna.  The  teachers 
were  now  called  Amoraim,  orators,  expounders,  and  their  expositions, 
Gemara,  completion. 

The  Patriarchate  and  the  Tiberian  schools  remained  yet  for  two 
centuries,  adorned  by  many  a  man  of  great  intellect,  as  well  as  by 
nourishing  seminaries  of  learning.  However,  their  bloom  seemed  to 
fade  more  and  more,  and  in  course  of  time  they  lost  almost  all  their  in- 
fluence and  reputation.  The  Patriarchate  being  very  much  restricted 
in  its  authority,  through  Roman  extortions,  resolved  to  resign  in  con- 
sideration of  higher  motives,  and  even  denied  itself  the  important 
privilege  of  regulating  the  aj^pointments  of  the  calendar,  which,  from 
the  Patriarch  Hillel  II.,  had  abided  unto  this  time  (359).  At  the 
commencement  of  the  fifth  century,  the  Patriarch  Gamliel  was  dis- 
missed, on  account  of  having  aided  in  the  building  of  new  syna- 
gogues. He  died  childless.  Then  the  Jews  did  not  apjDoint  any 
other  Patriarch,  and  an  imperial  decree  declared  this  dignity  to  be 
extinguished(429).  The  oppressions  increased  continually,  and  the 
further  existence  of  the  Palestinean  schools  became  a  matter  of  im- 
possibility. 

But  ere  even  the  sun  of  the  law  had  disapj)eared  in  the  west,  there 
was  ah-eady  a  fi-esh  day  dawning  in  the  east.  The  difi'erent  schools 
in  Babylon,  which,  after  the  death  of  Rabbi  Jehudah  the  Holy,  had 
been  established,  had  become  of  the  same  influence  and  imjDortance 
as  those  of  Palestine. 

I.    M.   JOST. 

Dr.  Isaac  Makcus  Jost  was  born  February  22,  1793,  at  Bernburg  (Anhalt),  and  died  qnite 
unexpectedly,  almost  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  was  a  colleague  of  Leopold  Zunz,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  renowned  Jewish  scholars  of  modern  times.  He  studied  at  Gottingen  and 
Berlin,  was  a  writer  of  great  note,  and  pubUshed  many  valuable  works,  and  his  history  of 
Judaism  gained  him  a  world-wide  reputation.  He  was  a  great  philanthropist,  a  strict  ob- 
server of  Judaism,  and  he  made  his  name  immortal  by  establishing  the  well-known  orphan 
asylum  at  Frankfurt  on  the  Main.  In  him  mankind  lost  an  excellent  man,  science  one  of 
her  honest  disciples,  and  Israel  one  of  her  most  beautiful  ornaments. 

Kesidue— That  which  is  left.  |      To  Initiate— To  enter;   to  instruct  in  the 

Nassi— One  who  presided  over  the  Sanhe-    rudimentsof  an  art. 
drim.  ~  Rhetokic— Speaking  with  art  and  elegance, 

Ab-bet-din — Vice-president  of  the   Sanhe-        ToDebate— To  deliberate, 
drim.  Disquisition— Disputative  inquiry. 

Metubgeman— Interpreter. 


THE  SOUL. 


There    is   a   vital  spark    of   heavenly 

flame. 
That  fills   a       permeates   the   mortal 

frame, 
Which  He  with  sacred  thoughts  doth  oft 

inspire, 
Who  filled  Isaiah  with  poetic  fire. 

Such    thoughts,   whose  influence    the 
glowing  mind 


Hath  oft  disturbed,  delighted,  raised, 
refined, 

Thoughts  so  ineffable,  soothing,  yet 
great. 

Thoughts  of  the  life-sustaining  Potent- 
ate. 

And  this  same  spark  that  in  us  dwells. 
Through  which  our  heart  with  prayer 
swells, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  309 


When(!c  comes  it?     Whence  its  origin 

divine  ? 
Whence  but  from  Ilim  from  whom  all 

glories  shine  ! 

His    living    breath    has   reached   our 

bosoms,  too, 
As  shines  the  sunbeam  in  a  drop  of  dew; 
The  effluence  of  His  presence  divine, 


Pervading  worlds,  doth  in  our  spirit 
shine. 

Prom  Him,  who  plants  in  the  immortal 
soul 

The  spring  of  love,  and  power  of  self- 
control  ; 

From  God,  who  doth  all   motion  guide, 

Tlie  only  God  ! — there  is  no  God  beside. 
Dehorah  Kleinert. 


Effluence — That  which  issues  from  somo  I     Potkntate— Monarch,  prince, 
other  principle.  | 


THE  SCEIOOLS  OF  BABYLON  AND  THK  TALMUD. 

[300-500  A.] 
I. 

During  the  patriarchate  of  the  second  Rabbi  Jehuda  (f^randchild 
of  Jehuda  the  Holy),  we  find  in  Babylon  a  real  historical  life  develop- 
injTf  itself,  which,  in  covirse  of  time,  placed  that  country  in  the  fore- 
ground of  Jewish  history,  effecting  a  condition  so  lloiu'ishing,  and  of 
such  acconijiHshed  ripeness,  that  it  prevailed  beyond  a  period  of  a 
thousand  years.  Babylon  proved  a  second  mother  to  the  Jewish 
nation  after  being  deprived  of  its  first,  and  it  was  but  seldom  that 
she  behaved  toward  her  like  a  stepmother.  By  the  name  of  Baby- 
lon, of  which  we  speak  here,  is  generally  understood  the  shores  of 
both  sides  the  Euplirates  as  far  as  the  shores  of  the  Tigris,  comjiris- 
ing,  therefore,  the  southern  part  of  Mesopotamia,  the  territory  of 
ancient  Babylon,  and  a  jjart  of  old  Chaldea.  These  countries  were 
inhabited  by  Jews  to  that  extent  that  the  name  "  Land  of  Israel '' 
was  given  to  it. 

Four  towns  Avere  of  great  importance,  forming  prominent  centers 
for  the  whole  country.  Nahardea  occupied  the  first  place,  being  a 
fortified  town  on  the  Euphrates,  and  entirely  inhabited  by  Jews. 
The  town  of  Nahardea  was  for  a  time  the  Babylonian  Jerusalem. 
During  the  existence  of  the  Temple  the  treasury  of  all  the  Babylonian 
congregations  was  kept  here,  from  which  the  contributions  toward 
the  Temple  were  paid,  and  which  were  sent  under  a  strong  escort  to 
Jerusalem.  As  long  as  the  Temple  stood  the  Babylonian  Jews  con- 
tributed largely  toward  its  support.  Pumpadita,  situated  on  one  of 
the  many  canals  of  the  Euphrates,  was  also  entirely  a  Jewish  town, 
and  had  a  very  ancient  congregation.  The  place  was  noted  for  its 
many  palaces.  Several  smaller  towns  and  a  few  fortified  places  were 
in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  Thii-teen  geographical  miles,  and  in 
a  southern  direction  from  Pumpadita,  the  place  of  Mata-Machassia 
was  situated  on  an  extensive  lake,  called  Sura,  which  properly  was 
the  Euphrates.     Fi'om  this  lake  the  town  of  Svura  received  its  name. 

PAET  II. — li 


210  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Here  we  find  a  mixed  population  of  Jews  and  heathens,  and  as  Pum- 
padita  was  noted  for  its  palaces,  and  the  cunning  character  of  its  in- 
habitants, in  the  same  manner  was  Mata-Machassia  distinguished  for 
its  poverty  and  the  uprightness  of  its  residents.  A  common  saying 
points  out  the  properties  of  the  two  places  to  each  other:  "It  is 
better  to  dwell  upon  the  dunghills  of  Machassia  than  in  Pumpadita's 
palaces." 

Besides  Nahardea,  Pumpadita  and  Mata-Machassia,  there  was  a 
fourth  one,  vying  with  these  three  towns  on  the  Euphrates,  which 
was  Machurzaon  the  Tigris,  about  three  miles  distant  fi*om  Otesiphan, 
the  capital  of  the  Pai-thians.  It  had  close  by  a  citadel.  In  spite  of 
the  importance  which  Machurza  with  its  forts  offered  to  the  reign- 
ing Parthians  and  Persians,  the  inhabitants  thereof  were  neverthe- 
less entirely  Jews,  and  an  Amora  felt  astonished  that  the  gates  of  the 
fortress  were  not  furnished  with  proper  door  capsules,  according  to 
the  usual  regulations.  The  most  respectable  Machurzanic  families 
were  descendants  of  prosel;)i:es,  which  made  their  national  character 
peculiar,  entirely  differing  from  the  rest  of  the  Jewish  population  of 
Babylon.  They  were  termed  a  frivolous  people,  given  to  pleasure 
and  more  addicted  to  temporal  than  si:)iritual  matters.  Thus  they 
were  styled  "  Candidates  of  hell."  The  same  is  related  of  the  Ma- 
churzanic women,  who  often  sought  after  pleasure,  and  spent  their 
time  in  idleness. 

The  whole  stretch  of  land,  with  its  many  canals,  which  connect  the 
Euphrates  with  the  Tigris,  resembled  a  cluster  of  islands;  and,  being 
also  noted  for  its  fruitfulness,  the  country  appeared  like  a  garden  of 
great  extent.  Large  groves  of  date  trees  were  so  plentiful  that  it 
had  become  proverbial  to  say  of  a  Babylonian:  "A  basket  full  of 
dates  for  a  Denarius,  and  they  shall  not  occupy  themselves  with  the 
study  of  the  law!" 

The  land  around  Sura  was  considered  the  most  fertile  in  the  coun- 
try, being  of  a  low  level,  and  thus  the  Euphrates,  with  its  by-rivers 
and  canals,  overflowing  the  same  yearly,  produced  an  Egyptian  fer- 
tility. The  occupation  of  the  Babylonian  Jews  was  mostly  agricul- 
tural and  trades  of  every  description;  but  living  in  a  country  de- 
pending on  canal  irrigation,  they  made  it  theu*  business  also  to  build 
and  to  clean  canals  applying  themselves  as  well  to  the  breeding  of 
cattle,  and  canying  on  commerce,  navigation,  and  in  many  instances 
even  some  of  the  arts  were  not  neglected  by  them. 

The  number  of  Babylonian  Jews  being  very  large,  it  made  them 
somewhat  independent,  and  they  felt  almost  as  much  at  home  as  in 
their  ovni  country.  The  position  they  occupied  in  respect  to  the 
reigning  power  was  a  very  liberal  one,  and  consisted  merely  in  pay- 
ing certain  contributions  for  poll-tax  and  ground  rent.  In  attend- 
ing to  this  regulation,  they  were  permitted  to  have  their  own 
governor,  who  was  styled  Prince  of  Exile  (Exilarch,  Resh-Galuta.) 


FOR  THE  USE  OE  ISRAELITES.  211 

He  was  considered  one  of  high  dignity  in  the  Persian  Empire,  and 
was,  next  to  the  king,  the  fourth  in  rank  of  all  the  Persian  magnates. 
His  position  to  the  Parthian  and  Persian  kings  was  something  similar 
to  the  petty  princes  in  Germany.  The  exilarchs  were  vassals  of  the 
Persian  crown,  being,  however,  not  chosen  by  the  crown,  but  merely 
ratified.  The  mark  of  dignity  was  a  silken  gown  and  a  sash,  and  in 
later  times  they  were  surrounded  by  jmncely  splendor,  driving  in 
state  carriages  with  a  large  retinue  of  servants,  and  an  outrider  to 
announce  their  arrival.  Whenever  they  had  a  solemn  audience  of 
the  king  the  royal  servants  received  them  with  due  honor,  and  they 
transacted  their  business  with  the  king  in  jDerson.  Every  exilarch 
was  a  descendant  of  the  house  of  David,  and  thus  the  people  gladly 
submitted  to  their  sway,  feeling  honored  in  having  their  own  ruler. 
In  a  chronicle  of  ancient  date  we  find  their  number  and  their  names 
correctly  stated,  and  their  descendants  being  proved  as  far  back  as 
Zerubbabel,  grandchild  of  the  Jewish  King  Joachim. 

These  exilarchs  were  chief  justices  of  the  Jewish  congregations, 
not  only  in  matters  of  civil  law,  but  also  in  all  criminal  cases ;  they 
themselves  executed  judgment,  or  appointed  a  tribunal  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  main  force  against  offenders  was  the  use  of  the  cudgel, 
according  to  Oriental  custom.  Also  the  functions  of  keeping  up  a 
magistracy  in  the  different  towns,  of  watching  over  proper  weights 
and  measures,  of  attending  to  the  canals  and  the  public  safety  in 
general,  were  entirely  in  their  hands,  as  well  as  the  appointments  of 
the  different  officers  for  that  purpose.  The  business  of  the  Eesh- 
Galuta  was  entirely  concerning  worldly  affairs,  while  the  religious 
matters  were  regulated  by  proper  authorities  from  Palestine. 

Before  these  historical  times,  or,  rather,  previous  to  the  trans- 
planting of  the  law  and  its  establishment  in  Babylon,  there  was  but 
little  learning  to  be  met  with  in  these  parts.  But  it  was  ordained 
that  this  barren  field  should  soon  become  a  flourishing  and  fruitful 
plain.  More  numerous  than  in  former  times  were  the  Babylonian 
youths  of  the  last  lineage  of  the  Tanaim,  under  the  patriarchate  of 
Rabbi  Jehudah  I.  Thirsting  after  knowledge,  they  flocked  to  the 
different  schools  in  Galilee,  as  if  they  intended  to  catch  the  last  rays 
of  the  setting  sun  of  the  doctrine  of  the  ancestral  country  in  order  to 
illuminate  therewith  their  native  land. 

Two  men  especially  are  noted  for  having  traced  out  a  fi'esh  path, 
whereby  Babylon  obtained  the  reputation  of  Judea.  Abba  Arreka, 
commonly  called  Rab,  returned  to  his  native  country  fi'om  Palestine, 
where  he  sat  at  the  feet  of  Rabbi  Jehuda  the  Holy,  and  became  a 
man  of  great  renown,  on  account  of  which  he  was  invested  with  office 
by  the  Resh-Galuta,  in  which  capacity  he  was  obliged  to  travel  much 
about  different  parts  of  the  country.  Thus,  to  his  great  surprise,  he 
soon  learned  that  the  people  were  living  in  a  state  of  great  ignorance, 
and  that  the  greatest  carelessness  j)revailed  about  Sura.     Therefore 


313  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

lie  resolved  upon  opening  a  school  on  this  very  spot,  in  order  that 
his  pupils  might  be  able,  in  theu'  coming  and  going,  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  the  law.  In  this  great  undertaking  he  proved  very 
successful,  for  Sura  became,  during  eight  centuries,  the  seat  of 
Jewish  science.  The  school  was  opened  by  Abba  about  the  year 
219.  'J  he  great  name  which  Rab  bore  soon  brought  twelve  hundred 
pupils  together,  who  arrived  from  all  parts  of  Babylon,  to  attend  to 
the  teaching  of  this  new  establishment.  Above  one  hundred  re- 
nowned scholars  have  spread  his  utterances  and  decisions  far  and 
Avide.  The  throng  of  attendants  who  daily  listened  to  his  discourses 
became  so  large  that  the  garden  had  to  be  added  to  the  school-house 
in  order  to  enlarge  the  same.  The  love  and  respect  with  which  his 
disciples  regarded  him  were  so  great  that  they  used  the  common 
title  toward  him  of  Rab  (teacher),  the  same  as  they  called  the 
patriarch  Judah  Kabbi,  or  Rabbenu,  which  became  the  prevailing 
expression.  All  the  pupils  were  entirely  maintained  by  Rab,  incase 
they  were  withovit  means,  he  being  a  man  of  great  wealth,  and  pos- 
S3ssed  of  extensive  j^roperty,  which  he  cultivated  himself.  All  his 
arrangements  were  so  wisely  conducted  that  those  who  listened  to 
his  discourses  had  still  atnple  time  left  to  attend  to  their  daily  occu- 
pations and  provide  for  the  support  of  their  families. 

Two  months  in  the  year  (Adar  and  EUul),  in  autumn  and  the  be- 
ginning of  spring,  the  pupils  gathered  together  at  Sura.  In  these 
two  months,  which  were  called  the  months  of  assembly,  the  instruc- 
tion was  carried  on  daily,  lasting  the  whole  of  the  day,  so  that  the 
pupils  could  scarcely  find  time  to  take  their  meals.  Besides  these 
two  months  public  discourses  were  always  held  by  Rab  a  week  pre- 
vious to  the  chief  festivals,  which  were  attended,  not  onl}'  by  his  dis- 
ciples, but  almost  by  the  whole  nation.  Even  the  exilarch  came  to 
Sura  about  this  time,  and  received  the  homage  of  all  the  people,  who 
had  thus  come  together  for  the  occasion.  The  throng  was  immense, 
and  very  many  could  not  find  shelter  in  the  houses,  but  were  obliged 
to  encamp  on  the  shores  of  the  Sura  Lake. 

The  system  of  Rab's  instruction  was  not  only  fcr  the  education  of 
his  disciples,  but  it  j^rovided  at  the  same  time  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  ignorant  pojDulation.  With  enei^getic  earnestness  he  labored 
iuiinterruj)tedly  for  the  improvement  of  morality,  which,  as  well  as 
religion,  were  at  a  very  low  standpoint  among  the  humbler  classes 
of  the  people.  The  virtues  which  Rab  possessed,  together  with  his 
perseverance  and  patience,  his  suavity  and  modesty,  recall  to  mind 
those  of  Hillel.  When,  during  the  days  that  he  held  his  discourses, 
a  multitude  were  following  him  into  the  school-house,  he  used  to  re- 
pe  it  to  himself  the  verse  in  Job :  "  When  the  grandeur  of  man  reaches 
to  the  heavens,  it  passes  away  quite  as  suddenly."  Previous  to  his 
entering  a  court  of  justice,  he  usually  said:  "Freely  I  resign  myself 
unto  death;  the  affairs  of  my  household  I  do  not  manage  here,  for 


FOR  THE  USP]  OF  ISRA.KLITES.  213 

empty  I  return  from  this  place  to  my  home,  and  my  wish  only  is, 
that  I  may  be  quite  as  j^'uiltless  on  my  return  as  I  am  on  my  arrival." 
Hal)  wrote  i:)oetry  on  relif^'ious  matters  to  great  loerfection,  being  al)le 
to  h.'indle  the  Hebrew  language  in  a  most  masterly  style.  Many  of 
his  religious  effusions,  especially  the  sublime  and  effective  prayer  for 
the  New  Year,  have  been  received  imder  his  name  in  the  regular 
order  of  jirayers  offered  up  on  that  day.  For  twenty-eight  years  did 
Kab  continue  to  labor  at  his  school  in  Sura.  When  he  died  (247), 
all  his  pupils  followed  his  corpse  to  the  grave,  and  all  the  Jews  in 
Babylon  mourned  for  their  eminent  Amora  for  twelve  months. 


II. 

Rab's  friend  and  co-worker  for  the  elevation  of  the  Jews  of  Baby- 
lon was  Samuel,  or  Mar-Samuel,  with  the  surname  Arioch  or  Jarchi- 
nai,  who  had  arrived  at  his  native  home  before  Kab,  and  was  principal 
of  the  school  of  Naliardea.  Not  much  is  known  of  him,  except  that 
he  obtained  great  repute  as  a  physician  and  an  astronomer.  In 
Palestine  he  cured  his  teacher,  Rabbi  Jehudah  the  Holy,  of  an  eye 
disease  from  which  he  suffered  for  many  years.  Being  also  a  great 
astronomer,  he  compiled  a  calendar  for  sixty  years,  which  was  con- 
sidered no  mean  task  in  those  days.     He  also  had  numerous  pupils. 

With  the  death  of  Hab  and  Samuel,  the  founders  of  a  real  active 
and  scientific  life  in  Babylon,  diligence  and  activity  increased  even 
to  a  greater  extent.  During  the  half  century  of  their  efficacy  the 
knowledge  acquired  had  taken  root  so  deeply  that  the  seed  trans- 
planted into  foreign  ground  throve  even  better  than  ujDon  native  soil. 
A  lively,  indestructible  emulation  seized  upon  all  classes  of  the  popu- 
lation, in  order  to  make  themselves  fully  and  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  Halacha,  and  to  regulate  their  lives  accordingly.  To  be 
well  versed  in  the  law  was  considered  a  great  honor,  while  ignorance 
therein  became  a  matter  of  disgrace.  The  former  immorality  and 
ignorance  among  the  Jews  of  Babylon  vanished  more  and  more,  and 
domestic,  as  well  as  public  life,  formed  itself  according  to  the  ideal 
which  the  two  great  chiefs  of  scholastic  life  (Rab  and  Samuel)  had 
conceived  in  so  masterly  and  animated  a  manner.  Babylon  assumed 
in  many  respects  the  character  of  the  Holy  Land. 

Rabbi  Huna  (born  about  212,  died  297},  who  became  Rab's  suc- 
cessor in  Sura,  was  the  most  renowned  man  of  his  time,  and  one  to 
whom  the  Jewish  Amoraim  gladly  submitted.  His  biography  sup- 
plies us  also  with  a  characteristic  picture  of  this,  in  which  especially 
untiring  zeal  for  the  study  of  the  law  went  hand  in  hand  with  worldly 
occupations,  such  as  agriculture  and  many  other  branches  of  industry. 
Rabbi  Huna,  although  a  relative  of  the  Prince  of  Exile,  was  not  of 
rich  descent;  and  he  himself  cultivated  the  few  acres  of  land  he  pos- 
sessed, without  feeling  ashamed  of  his  occupation.     Whenever  he 


214  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

was  chosen  judge  by  any  party  he  used  to  remark  to  them:  "  Find 
me  fiist  a  laborer  to  attend  to  my  fields,  and  I  shall  then  be  your 
judge."  He  often  retiu'ned  from  the  fields  carrying  his  spade  on  his 
shoulder.  Thus  he  was  once  met  by  Chama  ben  Anilay,  who  was 
the  richest  man  in  Babylon,  and  at  the  same  time  a  most  liberal  and 
benevolent  i^erson. 

This  very  Chama,  in  practicing  the  Jewish  virtue  of  being  a 
father  to  the  poor,  had  realized  an  ideal  but  seldom  experienced. 
In  his  house,  both  day  and  night,  the  preparing  of  provisions  for  the 
poor  was  carried  on.  His  dwelling  was  provided  with  several 
entrances,  so  that  aU  who  stood  in  need  of  help  might  enter  at  once, 
and  not  leave  it  until  their  wants  had  been  frdly  supplied.  When- 
ever he  left  his  house,  he  continually  kept  one  of  his  hands  in  a  bag 
filled  with  money,  in  order  not  to  keep  the  poor  waiting,  should  he 
happen  to  meet  any.  Diuing  the  famine,  he  ordered  that,  at  night, 
wheat  and  barley  should  be  placed  in  difierent  pubUc  thoroughfares,  so 
that  the  respectable  poor,  who  felt  ashamed  to  mix  with  beggars, 
might  have  an  oj^portunity  of  providing  for  themselves.  At  aU 
times,  whenever  a  large  sum,  or  some  heavy  tax,  was  required,  it  was 
a  certainty  that  Chama  was  ready  to  bear  the  heaviest  burden.  Yet, 
with  all  his  riches,  he  was  so  humble  and  modest  in  his  character  that 
he,  out  of  respect  to  Rabbi  Huna,  continually  desired  to  carry  his 
spade  for  him,  whenever  he  met  him  coming  home  from  the  field. 
But  Rabbi  Huna  would  not  consent  to  it,  and  generally  replied: 
"  You  are  not  used  to  do  such  a  thing  in  this  j)lace,  and  therefore  I 
cannot  acquiesce  in  your  demand." 

In  after  years.  Rabbi  Huna  became  very  rich,  employing  many 
laborers  for  tilling  his  lands,  to  whom  he  gave  a  share  of  the  crops. 
He  also  possessed  large  herds  of  cattle,  which  grazed  on  the  heaths 
of  South  Babylon.  But  he  made  projaer  and  noble  use  of  his  riches. 
On  stormy  days,  when  the  winds,  coming  from  the  Syrian  coast, 
generally  j)i"Oved  very  disastrous,  he  had  himself  cai'ried  to  all 
parts  of  the  town  of  Sura,  in  order  to  investigate  the  damage  done, 
and  repau"  it.  During  meal  time,  aU  the  doors  of  his  house  were 
o^)ened,  and  a  crier  shouted  the  words:  "Whosoever  is  hungry 
may  enter  at  once  and  eat."  Many  noble  illustrations  of  his  untiring 
benevoleuce  are  related.  AU  destitute  pupils  of  his  school,  who 
were  rather  numerous,  had  their  wants  supplied  during  the  school 
months.  The  whole  number  of  his  pupils  amounted  to  eight  hun- 
dred, and  he  made  use  of  thirteen  expounders,  whom  he  placed  in 
different  paiis  of  the  school-house,  so  that  all  should  be  able  to  hear 
and  understand  his  exjDOsitions. 

About  tliis  time,  a  school  was  opened  at  Pumpadita  by  Rabbi 
Jehudah  ben  Jecheskiel,  which  became  the  center  of  Jewish  Hfe 
and  activity  in  the  north  of  Babylon,  the  same  as  Sura  Avas  for 
the  south.     This  scholastic  establishment  became  a  high  school  of 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  215 

p^reat  eminence,  maintaininfr  its  hi^li  position  more  than  eight  cen- 
turies. Other  similar  estabhshments  sprung  up  at  Nares  and 
Machurza.  The  number  of  men  of  talent,  all  well  versed  in  the  law, 
were  severiil  thousand,  and  many  hundreds  of  these  glorious  names 
have  been  transmitted  to  us. 

The  mode  of  instruction  in  the  Babylonian  schools  was,  in  the 
main,  similar  to  that  employed  in  Palestine.  The  Mishna  formed 
generally  the  foundation  of  the  discourse  which  was  expounded,  the 
sense  of  every  word  and  sentence  being  illustrated  and  compared 
with  the  Boraita  and  Tosephta.  But  the  social  condition  of  the 
Jewish  population  of  Babylon,  as  well  as  their  conduct  of  life,  was 
essentially  different  fi-om  that  in  Judea.  Therefore  hundreds  of 
religious  questions  sprang  up,  which  were  not  expressly  provided 
for  in  the  Mishna.  In  such  cases,  the  schools  sought  to  make  use  of 
the  doctrines  of  the  Mishna;  and  even  matters  which  were  not  under 
immediate  consideration  were  discussed,  in  order  to  know  how  to 
decide  them,  should  they  ever  come  to  pass.  The  attractive  play  of 
the  mind  concerning  acute  questions,  answers,  comparisons,  whereby 
these  questions  were  solved;  the  lofty  train  of  thought,  proceeding 
from  certain  points,  and  measuring,  with  the  swiftness  of  lightning, 
the  gradation  of  a  series  of  conclusions;  all  this  excites  astonishment, 
and  cannot  be  made  comprehensible  to  the  uninformed. 

In  the  meantime,  the  great  migration  of  nations  had  commenced 
(375).  The  uncouth  Huns,  the  scourge  of  God,  drove  before  them 
horde  upon  horde,  nation  upon  nation,  too  difficult  for  the  mind  to 
behold,  or  for  the  tongue  to  repeat.  These  times  verify  almost  liter- 
ally the  words  of  the  prophet :  "  The  earth  staggers  like  a  drunkard, 
heavy  sins  rest  upon  her;  she  falls,  and  cannot  rise  again;  and  the 
Lord  Zebaoth  on  high  punishes  the  bands  above  and  the  kings  of 
the  earth  here  below."  This  remarkable  change  of  the  decay  and 
rise  of  nations  impressed  the  reflective  Jewish  mind  with  the  full 
conviction  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  Jewish  nation.  "A  nation 
arises,  another  vanishes,  but  Israel  remains  forever." 

In  these  hard  times  which  made  the  coming  morning  insecure, 
the  leaders  of  Judaism  felt  a  sudden  impulse  which  urged  them  to 
bring  into  safety  the  treasure  with  which  they  were  intmsted,  and 
not  to  endanger  it  by  the  many  changes  which  every  day  brought  to 
light.  The  time  had  arrived  for  the  gathering  of  that  which  their 
ancestors  had  sown.  The  whole  matter  of  the  traditions  had  now 
to  be  put  into  proper  order,  and  this  important  business  was  com- 
menced by  Rabbenu  Ashi  (born  372,  died  427).  In  his  yoiinger 
days,  he  was  the  chief  of  the  Surianic  school,  for  which  he  rebuilt 
the  school-house  that  Rab,  several  centuries  before,  had  established. 
In  order  that  the  building  should  not  be  neglected,  he  had  his  bed 
brought  therein,  si^ending  both  day  and  night  in  the  house,  and 
never  leaving  the  spot  until  all  was  completely  finished. 


216  SCnOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Possessing  tlie  learning  and  the  influence  which  once  Rabbi  Je- 
hvida  the  Holy  was  noted  for,  Rabbi  Ashi  was  capable  of  an  under- 
taking which,  in  regard  to  the  destiny  and  the  development  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  has  proved  of  indisputable  consequence.  He  began 
this  gigantic  work  by  gathering  and  arranging  all  explanations  of  the 
Mishna  which  had  iDeen  discoursed  at  the  public  schools  since  the 
compiling  of  the  same.  His  labor  oi  love  was  facilitated  by  an  all- 
wise  Providence  granting  him  a  j^eriod  of  more  than  half  a  century  to 
accomplish  the  difficult  task  he  had  imposed  ujoon  himself.  Every 
year,  when  all  the  disciples  and  pupils  met,  several  sections  of  the 
Mislina,  with  the  different  Talmudic  explanations  and  complements, 
were  thoroughly  sifted,  so  that  the  sixty  sections  took  about  thirty 
years  for  a  proper  ari'angement  and  classification.  During  t\ie  re- 
maining second  half  of  his  activity.  Rabbi  Ashi  reviewed  once  more 
the  whole  of  the  matter  which  had  been  arranged  and  disposed  of. 
This  second  review,  sifted  and  examined,  has  been  accepted  as  a 
fixed  rule,  and  the  work  thus  accomplished  bears  the  name  of  the 
"  Babylonian  Talmud"  (Talmud  Babli),  in  opj^osition  to  a  similar  work 
of  much  less  importance,  which  was  comj)iled  in  Palestine,  and  known 
as  the  Palestinian  Talmud  (Talmud  Jerushalmi).  Therefore  Rabbi 
Ashi,  having  collected  the  Talmud,  was  considered  the  accomplisher 
of  that  work  which  Rabbi  Jehuda  the  Holy  had  commenced  two 
centuries  previously.  But  Ashi's  undertaking  was  by  far  more  diffi- 
cidt,  and  it  was  not  in  his  power  to  finish  it.  His  son.  Mar,  continued 
the  same;  but  heavy  afflictions,  which  the  hitherto  happy  Babylonian 
Jews  had  now  to  expeiience,  forced  them  to  close  the  work,  and 
thus  Rabina  brought  the  same  (about  500)  to  a  conclusion. 

After  the  closing  of  the  Talmud,  the  Babylonian  schools  still  flour- 
ished another  half  a  century,  especially  those  of  Pumpadita  and  Sura. 
During  the  next  generation,  the  teachers  of  the  law  bore  the  name 
of  Saburaim.  By  degrees,  the  head  masters  of  schools  were  called 
(iaon;  wherefore  the  whole  period,  till  the  decline  of  the  schools,  is 
called  the  Gaonaic  period.  The  decline  was  at  length  brought  about 
by  different  circumstances.  The  whole  country,  inhabited  by  Jews, 
was  conquered  by  the  Islams.  Under  the  dominion  of  the  CaliiDhs, 
they  lived  at  first  very  contented,  but  in  later  days  they  had  heavy 
afflictions  to  experience.  The  dignity  of  the  Resh-Galuta  was  cor- 
rupted, and  fell  into  evil  hands.  This  caused  unpleasant  and  injuri- 
ous disputes  with  the  Gaonim,  till  at  last,  about  the  year  1030,  the 
schools,  the  Gaonate,  and  the  dignity  of  the  Resh-Galuta,  became 
extinct. 

But  the  Jews  in  the  meantime  had  removed  more  and  more  from 
their  cradle-land  on  the  Jordan  and  Euphrates,  to  parts  in  the  east 
beyond  the  Indus,  as  well  as  to  the  west,  on  the  shores  of  the  Tajo, 
the  Loire,  and  the  Rhine,  in  order  to  dwell  in  those  countries.  They 
had  taken  the  Talmud  with  them,  which  became  now  the  educator 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


217 


of  the  .Icwisli  people;  and  this  education  was  not  of  an  inferior  kind, 
for,  in  spite  of  all  disturbing  influences,  exceptionable  positions, 
hunuliation  and  premeditated  demoralization,  it  fostered  a  degree  of 
morality  which  even  its  enemies  could  not  gainsay.  It  maintained 
and  promoted  the  religious  and  moral  life  of  Judaism;  it  was  the 
standard  furnished  to  the  congregations,  far  and  near,  in  order  to 
preserve  and  cement  the  community.  It  has  acquainted  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Jewish  nation  with  its  history,  and  has  also  brought 
about  a  thoughtful  and  active  life,  in  lighting  the  torch  of  knowl- 
edge for  the  enslaved  and  stigmatized  sons  of  Israel. 

I.  M.  JosT. 


Patriarch — One  who  governs  by  paternal 
right,  or  one  who  holds  a  high  ecclesiastical 
cilice. 

Phoseiyte — One  brought  over  to  a  new 
opinion;  a  convert. 

Irrioation — The  act  of  watering. 

Magnate — A  person  of  h'gh  rank. 

Vassal — A  dependent. 

Suavity  -  Sweetness  to  the  mind. 


Perpetuity — Something  of  which  there  is 
no  end. 

Islam — The  faith  according  to  Mahcimet. 

Premeditate— To  contrivt;  beforehand. 

Demoralization— The  act  of  corrupting 
morals. 

To  Stigmatize — To  mark  with  a  brand;  to 
disgrace. 


THE  SABBATH  LAMP. 


Shine,  Sabbath  Lamp,  oh,  shine  with 
tender  ray ! 
Pierce  the  soft  wavelets  of  the  fading 
light; 
Speed   the  faint  footsteps  of   the  wan- 
ing day, 
And  greet  the  shadows  of  the  coming 
night ! 

Cast    thy    rays     upward — cleave    the 
darkening  air, 
And  lift  a  stream  of  brilliant  light  on 
high ; 
Shine  on  the  wings  of  faith,  and  may 
they  bear 
The  wavering,  wandering  heart  from 
.earth  to  sky. 

Fling  thy   beams  forward — may   (heir 
radiance  meet 
The  welcome  presence  of  the  heaven- 
sent guest; 

Illume  the  path  she  treads  with  glisten- 
ing feet; 

•     The  Sabbath  bride  of  Israel's  panting 
breast. 

Cast  thy  gleams  backward,   six  days 
toils  are  tolled; 
Soothe  with   thy  smile  the   wearied 
breast  and  brain: 


And  may  thy  glittering  lustre  change 
.    to  gold 

Each  seventh  link  in  life's  dull  iron 
chain. 

Shed   thy  rays  downward — may  their 
sacred  ray 
On  life's  rough  road  of  earthly  travel 
shine; 
And  strew  the  crags  that  fret  the  rugged 
way 
With  sparkling  gems  which  breathe  a 
light  divine  ! 

Cast    thy    beams    inward — may    they 
pierce  the  fold 
That  each  one  gathers  round  his  se- 
cret breast; 
Show     forth   the   idol    in    its    godless 
mold, 
That  we  may  crush  it  in  our  bosom's 
nest ! 

Shed  thy  rays  outward — lest  at  last  we 
grow 
Centered  in  self — and  life's  best  pur- 
pose mock; 
And  dwell,  unmindful  of   a    brother's 
woe, 
Like  callous  limpet    on    the    weed- 
l)ound  rock. 


218 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Ah,  shine  afar  !  and  may  thy  waves  of 
light 
Bring  near  the  absent  dear  ones  far 
away; 
Show  us  our  loved  ones  in   our  dreams 
to-night, 
Our  dead  who  rest  in  Heaven's  bright 
Sabbath  day ! 

Shine  on  the  Past — and,  as   the  rain- 
drops gleam 
With  rainbow  tints  where'er  the  sun- 
beams rest; 
So  may  our  tears  grow  bright  beneath 
thy  beam, 
And  every    grief   be    sanctified  and 
blest. 


Shine  on  the  Present — may  thy  beacon 
light 
Beam  on  life's  sea  where  mists  and 
tempests  reign; 


Wavelets — To  move  loosely;  to  waft. 
Crag — A  rougti,  steep  rock. 


And  may  its  radiance  guide  our  course 
aright, 
And  fling  its  silvery  track  across  the 
main. 

Shine  on  the  Future — lead  these  hearts 
of  ours 
Par    beyond  home    and   clime   and 
native  strand. 
Light  up  the  East — gleam  on  yon  ruined 
towers; 
And  rend  the  gloom  that  veils  our 
long-lost  land. 

Shine,   Sabbath    Lamp,    with    ray    of 
heavenly  birth. 
Emblem  of  Faith  and  Hope  in  mercy 
given; 
Gleam  on  the  rude,  dark  path  we  tread 
on  earth, 
And  light  our  souls  to  find  the  road 
to  heaven. 

L.  J.  Ch. 


Limpet — A  kind  of  ehellflsh. 
Callous — Hardened;  insensible. 


SAADJA  GAON. 

[892-942  A.  1 

Rabbenu  Saadja  Gaon  was  born  in  the  year  4652  (892  a.)  in  the 
Province  of  Pithom,  in  Egypt,  and  died  in  4702  in  Sura.  His  eaiilily 
existence  was  but  of  short  duration,  yet  significant  and  wonderful 
are  the  works  he  accomplished  during  that  period;  but  aU  this  must 
be  looked  upon  as  trifling,  if  we  consider  what  he  really  could  have 
achieved  for  his  nation,  had  he  not  been  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his 
eventful  career.  Never  before  him  was  there  any  learned  man  ap- 
pointed Gaon,  except  that  he  belonged  to  Babylon,  and  was  one  of 
the  academical  teachers  of  that  country;  bvit  he  was  called  to 
office  by  the  Prince  of  Exile  Da\nd  ben  Sakkai,  inasmuch  as  he  fouAd 
that  the  academy  at  Sura  decayed  more  and  more  every  day,  and 
the  learned  men  belonging  to  it  becoming  scarce,  he  was  compelled 
to  seek  for  help  in  a  foreign  country.  But  Rabbi  Saadja's  name  had 
already  reached  the  remotest  parts;  his  renown  as  a  learned  man 
was  not  limited  to  his  knowledge  of  the  Talmud  and  the  sciences 
only,  but  he  had  also  gained  great  reputation  as  a  brave  man  full  of 
lion-like  courage,  who  shunned  no  obstacle,  and  was  no  respecter  of 
persons. 

In  the  month  of  Ijar,  in  the  year  4688,  he  came,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six,  to  Sura,  was  appointed  Gaon,  and  commenced  at  once  spreading 
knowledge   in  all  directions,  which  soon  increased  the  number  of 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  219 

pupils,  Jiud  the  Academy  at  Sura  became  famous  throughout  the 
whole  country.  But  the  period  of  his  greatness  did  not  last  long,  for 
after  two  years  a  dispute  arose  between  him  and  the  Prince  of  Exile, 
whose  legal  sentence  on  a  certain  occasion  was  upset  by  the  Gaon,  who 
without  I'egard  of  the  person,  immediately  censured  the  same.  The 
son  of  the  Prince  of  Exile,  who  wanted  to  force  Rabbi  Saadja  to  ac- 
knowledge the  ojjinion  of  his  father,  was  abused  by  the  people  and 
even  wounded.  This  brought  the  quarrel  to  a  climax,  and  the  Gaon 
made  an  attempt  to  persuade  the  king  to  dismiss  David  ben  Sakkai, 
putting  his  brother,  Jashia  ben  Sakkai,  in  his  place  as  Nassi;  but  he 
was  unsuccessful,  for  David  remained  at  his  post,  and  the  Gaon  was 
obliged  to  fly  and  hide  himself  from  him  during  seven  years.  In 
this  unfortunate  period,  which  the  Gaon  had  to  spend  secluded  from 
all  human  society,  his  mind  found  great  enjoyment  in  the  pursuit  of 
the  sciences,  and  he  also  occupied  himself  with  the  study  of  ancient 
authors.  He  imbibed  the  honey  of  their  wisdom,  di'ank  from  the 
fountain  of  their  doctrine,  with  which  he  watered  his  co-religionists. 
During  the  same  period  he  composed  his  numerous  far-famed  works, 
the  like  of  which  never  before  appeared  in  Israel,  for  previous  to  him 
but  few  existed  who  wrote  down  their  thoughts  in  order  that  they 
should  remain  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations,  and  it  amounts 
to  even  less,  what  is  still  preserved  to  us  from  former  authors.  After 
an  elapse  of  seven  years,  a  noble  minded  man,  Cassar  ben  Harum, 
exerted  himself  to  make  peace  between  him  and  the  Prince  of  Exile. 
He  succeeded  in  his  plan,  and  on  the  fast  of  Esther,  both  concluded 
a  treaty  of  peace  in  Cassar's  house;  lots  were  cast  who  should  dine 
with  the  other  on  the  Purim  festival,  and  the  chance  fell  on  Rabbi 
Saadja,  who  thus  became  the  guest  of  the  Nassi,  with  whom  he  spent 
Purim  and  two  more  days  very  comfortably.  However,  the  quarrel 
with  David  and  many  other  disputes  with  the  Caraits  had  already 
taken  root  in  his  heart,  so  that  it  was  almost  next  to  impossible  to 
get  rid  of  them  easily.  He  lived  only  five  years  more,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty,  moui-ned  by  all  the  great  and  wise  men  in  Israel.  Al- 
though many  whose  opinions  he  disliked  had  to  feel  the  satire  of 
his  language,  the  remembrance  of  him  after  death  was  nevertheless 
honored  by  the  learned  and  God-fearing  men  of  aU  classes.  There 
were  certainly  some  whose  opinion  was  at  variance  with  his,  esj^e- 
cially  in  regard  to  the  pursuit  of  science  and  philosophy;  yet  he  did 
not  mind  them,  but  continually  imparted  to  the  world  his  researches, 
for  the  fear  of  God  was  with  him  the  groundwork  of  all  wisdom. 
Also  the  celebrated  scholar,  Abraham  ben  Esra,  called  him  "the  chief 
of  all  cities  who  is  entitled  to  your  suftrage."  The  good  he  did  for 
Israel  is  described  in  the  book  Gillug,  and  in  a  letter  of  his  son.  Rabbi 
Dossa,  in  addressing  Rabbi  Chisdai,  Nassi  Jizchak  ben  Shafrut  in 
Spain;  neither  of  these  works,  however,  are  in  our  possession  now. 
His  works  on  law  and   science,  religious  teaching,  Scriptural  expo- 


230  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

sitions,  style  and  grammar  of  the  sacred  tongue,  were  very  numerous, 
and  were  written  in  Arabic,  tlie  language  in  general  ase  at  that  time, 
and  in  which  the  works  of  most  all  the  Gaonim  were  written.  The 
three  smaller  works,  Asharoth,  Iggaron,  and  a  piece  of  poetry  con- 
cerning the  niTmberof  letters  in  Holy  Writ,  were  an  exception  to  this 
rule.  AH  were  well  knoAvn  to  the  learned  men  in  Israel,  yet  only  a 
few  have  come  down  to  us,  for  the  most  of  them  the  ocean  of  time 
has  swept  away.  S.  Rapaport. 


Kev.  S.  Rapaport,  Chief  Rabbi  of  Prague,  noted  for  his  piety  and  great  erudition;  a  man  of 
great  research,  as  his  numerous  works  sufficiently  prove.  He  was  one  of  the  greatest  Hebrew 
scholars  of  modern  times,  and  all  his  writings  are  written  in  that  language. 


RABBI  MOSE  AND  RABBI  NATHAN  IN  CORDOVA. 

[980  A.J 

One  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  the  history  of  the  Israelites 
after  the  destniction  of  the  second  Temple  is  the  history  of  the  Jews 
in  Sj)ain.  In  early  times,  and,  according  to  some,  even  as  far  back 
as  King  Solomon,  the  confessors  of  the  Mosaic  faith  settled  on  the  soil 
of  the  Pyrenean  peninsula.  With  the  Romans  especially  many  Israel- 
ites fixed  their  abode  here,  and  the  Jewish  congregations  became  in 
course  of  time  more  numerous,  attaining  here  and  there  strength 
and  influence.  Yet  they  lived  to  see  unhappy  days  'as  scon  as  the 
Westgoths,  during  the  fifth  century,  entered  SjDain.  At  a  later  period, 
however,  they  experienced  better  treatment,  for  in  the  year  711  the 
confessors  of  Islamism  landed  in  Spain  and  fovmded  there  a  Moorish 
Empire,  during  which  the  Spanish  Israelites  experienced  the  hap- 
piest times.  History  records  but  very  few  instances  of  persecution 
which  Jews  had  to  suffer  from  the  Moorish  race  in  Granada.  They 
were  permitted  to  carry  on  every  kind  of  trade  and  profession,  many 
occupied  high  offices  and  dignities,  not  only  among  the  Moorish 
kings,  but  also  in  Arragon  and  Castile,  while  others  again  became 
noted  for  their  erudition  in  Arabic  literature.  Until  the  middle  of 
the  sixteenth  century  the  Spanish  Jews  acquired  their  Talmudic 
learning  in  the  Orient,  but  a  remarkable  circumstance  proved  of  such 
advantage  to  them,  that  they  could  soon  dispense  with  the  Baby- 
lonian schools,  which  were  then  ah-eady  fast  declining.  Four  eminent 
rabbis  who  undertook,  for  religious  purposes,  a  voyage  in  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea,  fell  into  the  hands  of  pirates,  who  had  captured  their 
vessel,  and  treated  them  as  common  slaves.  Rabbi  Mose,  the  most 
renowned  among  them,  had  his  wife  and  child  with  him.  The 
pious  woman,  who  could  not  find  means  to  escape  the  violence  of 
the  pirates,  threw  herself  into  the  sea,  not  without  the  hope  of 
resurrection  with  which  her  pious  husband  supported  her  in  her  last 
moments,  by  reminding  her  of  the  Biblical  passage,  where  God  says : 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  221 

"  I  bring  back  from  Basau,  even  from  the  dejiths  of  the  sea  I  brin;^ 
back." 

Kabbi  Mose  and  his  son  Henoch  were  bi'ought  to  Cordova,  where 
his  co-religionists  paid  a  ransom  for  them,  without,  however,  becom- 
ing further  acquainted  with  their  circumstances.  Rabbi  Mose,  who 
was  still  wearing  his  slave  dress,  Avent  at  once  to  the  Temple,  and  after 
the  service  entered  the  school-room  close  by,  where,  according  to  cus- 
tom, discourses  were  daily  delivered.  The  Chief  Judge  of  the  congre- 
gation. Rabbi  Nathan,  was  the  speaker,  and  every  one  was  permitted 
to  put  questions  to  him,  or  raise  any  objections  as  to  the  point  indis- 
jiute.  Rabbi  Mose  listened  to  all  attentively,  but  on  finding  an  obser- 
vation made  by  Kabbi  Nathan,  which,  in  his  opinion,  was  oj^j^osed  to 
Talmudic  teaching,  he  ventured  upon  some  remarks  on  the  subject, 
thus  causing  great  astonishment  among  the  audience.  They  all 
agreed  that  his  objections  were  correct,  and  he  was  now  called  upon 
to  continue  to  speak  on  the  very  same  subject,  and  to  give  his  ex- 
planations without  reserve.  He  readily  complied  with  the  request, 
showing  at  once  his  great  erudition,  especially  by  answering  satis- 
factorily a  number  of  intricate  questions  jiut  to  him.  Scarcely,  how- 
ever, Avas  the  discoui'se  finished  Avhen  two  parties  stepped  before 
Rabbi  Nathan  to  have  a  certain  question  set  to  right;  but  he 
immediately  observed  to  them:  "I  am  no  longer  Judge  here;  this 
stranger  in  his  slave  dress  is  my  teacher,  and  I  am  only  his  pupil; 
choose  him  for  your  Judge !"  The  great  humility  of  Raljbi  Nathan 
met  the  approA^al  of  every  one  present,  and  with  his  consent  Rabbi 
Mose  was  accordingly  elected  Chief  of  the  Cordova  congregation. 

The  pirate  avIio  had  disposed  of  him,  all  at  once  got  to  know  Avhat 
an  important  personage  he  had  thus  sold  for  the  mere  price  of  a 
common  slave,  and  feeling  dissatisfied  Avith  the  bargain,  brought  the 
matter  before  the  king,  Hasham  the  Second,  Avho,  hoAvever,  decided 
in  favor  of  the  Jews,  and  at  the  same  time  confirmed  the  appoint- 
ment of  Rabbi  Mose  the  more  Avillingly,  because  he  was  given  to 
understand  that,  on  account  of  his  great  ervidition,  the  Jews  from 
henceforth  Avould  need  no  longer  to  travel  to  Asia  for  the  sake  of 
acquiring  a  knoAvledge  of  the  Talmud.  Rabbi  Mose  became  after- 
ward a  great  favorite  with  the  king,  who  ordered  the  Babylonian 
Talmud  to  be  translated  into  Arabic,  for  he  himself  desired  to  be- 
come acquainted  Avith  it,  and  Avishing  also  to  supply  his  JcAvish  sub- 
jects with  the  same,  in  order  that  all  questions  might  be  settled  ac- 
cording to  its  contents.  Kabbi  Joseph  bar  Isaac  ben  Stanas  com- 
pleted the  task  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  king.  This  event, 
liOAvever,  bi'ought  about  a  new  epoch  for  Spanish  Jcavs,  inasmuch  as 
it  severed  the  connection  Avhich  from  the  year  100  liad  existed  be- 
tween Spain  and  the  Orient.  But  the  consequence  also  Avas  that  the 
JcAvish  inhabitants  from  the  north  coast  of  Africa  settled  in  France, 
even  as  far  as  the  Rhiue  provinces,  and  thus  gradually  all  inter- 


222 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


course  with  Babylon  ceased,  and  its  celebrated  schools  soon  decayed. 
Yet  this  occurrence  gave  to  the  Jews  in  Spain  peculiar  couspicuous- 
ness,  for  the  liberty  they  enjoyed  under  the  Moorish  kings,  and  the 
esteem  which  their  great  and  learned  men  met  with,  raised  the  con- 
sciousness even  of  the  humblest  among  them,  and  thus  forwarding 
every  accomplishment  which  so  much  distinguished  them  from  all 
other  European  Israelites.  Jud.  Plutarch. 


THE  MISSION  OF  ISRAEL. 


Through    ancient    prophets   was   the 
promise  given, 
Whose  glad  fulfillment  by  the  hand 
of  Time, 
Onward    to   harvest   fields   of   ripened 
beauty, 
Beckons  the  race  with  destiny  sub- 
lime. 
The  crown  has  fallen  from  the  brows 
anointed; 
The  scepter  passed  away  from  Israel' s 
hand; 
Yet,  in  the  vanguard  of  Truth's  mighty 
legion, 
Our  laureled  statesmen,  heroes,  poets, 
stand. 

The  victor  genius  of  that  olden  wisdom, 
That    gave    its    inspirations   lasting 
worth , 
Blossoms  anew,  linked  to  the  heart  of 
Science, 
Intcrpi'eted  by  lofty  souls  on  earth. 
And   Israel  fears  not  Nature's  revela- 
tions, 
Eternal    Truth   can  ne'er  be   over- 
thrown ; 
The  Only  One,  the  spirit  only  worships , 
By  glorious  ministry  of  love  is  known. 

That  love  is  banished  of  superstition. 
Of  all  the  idols  ignorance  reverses; 
Upon  the  Unseen  Altar,  light-enkindled. 
The  guiding  flame  of  Holiness  ap- 
pears— 
Its  radiance  leads  out  of  the  mists  of 
error. 
Out  of  the  valleys  of  law,  unwinged 
thought 
To    amethystine    heights  of     templed 
beauty. 
To  life-achievements  long  and  vainly 
sought. 


The  ancient  glory  is  not  dimmed,  re- 
splendent. 
Freighted  with  power   and   treasiu'e 
manifold, 
Its  benedictions  rest  where  truth  ascend- 
ant. 
The    pages  of    His   Wisdom's    love 
behold, 
A   mightier  sceptre  in  the    hands    of 
J  udah , 
Benignant  sway  and   holier  council 
wields; 
The     watchword    is    for     "  Universal 
Freedom  !" 
The  trophies  gathered  in  life's  widen- 
ing fields. 

The  heart  of  Israel,  faithful  and  heroic, 
Answers   the   questions  of    this  rest- 
less age; 
Its  sky  of  faith  no  fabled  terrors  darken ; 
Over  its  path  no  fear- born  phantoms 
wage. 
Life's  inner  conflict;  that,  His  love  de- 
nying, 
Enthrones  great  evil  'mid  the  mul- 
titude; 
Its  fearless  sotil    enshrines   the  grand 
ideal 
Of  the  world's  consecrated  brother- 
hood. 

This    is   the   mission    of  the    ancient 

people, 
Long  in  oppression's  cruel   shackles 

bound; 
With   rosy  dawn  of   the  new  morn  of 

freedom. 
The  clarion  tones  of  glad  awakening 

sound. 
The    soul    of    Israel    rouses   from   its 

slumber, 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  223 

The  True  Republic  is  its  crownin}^  aim;  I      Unfold  our  standard    in    His    holy 
Once  more  amid  the  {;reat,  enfranchised  name. 

nations,  |  Cora  Wilbukn. 


Amethyst — A  precious  stono  of  violet  color,  |      Tbophy— Something  taken  from   an  enemy 
almost  purple.  and  kept  as  a  sign  of  victory. 

Scepter — The  ensign  «f  royalty  borne  in        Shacklf.s— Fetters;  chains, 
the  hand.  Clarion — A  trumpet. 

Phantom— An  apparition;  a  fancied  vision.  1 


SALOMO  GABIROL. 

[1021-1070  A.] 

Salomo  ben  Jehudah  ibn  Gabirol,  or  Gebirol,  also  called  by  the  Jews 
"Solomon  the  Spaniard,"  the  hymnolop^ist,  and  "Kashbag,"  from  the 
initials  of  Rabbi  Shlomeh  ben  Gevirol,  by  the  Arabians,  Abu  Ajjub 
Suleiman  Ibn  Jachia  ibn  Djebirne,  and  by  the  Christian  schoolmen, 
Avicebrol,  Avicebron,  etc.,  a  very  distinguished  Jewish  philosopher, 
commentator  and  grammarian,  as  well  as  hymiiologist,  and  of  whom 
Alcharisi  said  that  he  supposed  all  Hebrew  poets  before  him,  and  that 
all  since  his  time  have  taken  his  works  for  their  models,  was  born 
in  Malaga,  in  Spain,  about  the  year  1021,  and  died  in  1070.  His  life 
was  as  short  as  his  talents  were  brilliant,  and  his  end  tragical  His 
death  is  said  to  have  been  caused  by  the  sanguinary  envy  of  an 
Arabian  rival  in  song,  and  the  legend  tells  that  the  young  poet  was 
buried  by  his  murderer  under  a  fig  tree,  which  in  consequence  pro- 
duced so  great  an  abundance  of  fruit  of  such  exquisite  flavor  as  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  Caliph,  and  led  to  the  discovery  of  the 
body  and  detection  of  the  crime  which  had  been  committed.  When 
only  nineteen  years  of  age  he  evinced  his  great  skill  as  a  poet  and  his 
thorough  acquaintance  with  the  Hebrew  grammar  by  writing  a  gram- 
mar of  the  Hebrew  language  in  verse,*  a  work  which  Aben  Erza  has 
since  pronounced  worthy  of  the  highest  praise.  The  following  ideas, 
taken  fi-om  the  introduction,  may  lead  us  to  form  some  estimate  of 
the  poetical  imagination  of  its  author. 

In  this  part  of  the  work  the  author  complains  "  that  the  study  of 
the  sacred  tongue,  honorable  above  all  others,  had  been  too  long 
neglected,  so  that  by  a  great  multitude  of  his  brethren  the  words  of 
the  prophets  were  no  longer  understood."  At  this  thought  the 
consciousness  of  his  own  youth  neither  could  or  would  restrain  him. 
A  voice  cried  within  him,  "  Gird  thyself  for  the  work,  for  God  will 
help  thee !  Say  not  T  am  too  young;  the  crown  is  not  exclusively  re- 
served for  old  age."  He  will  make  use  of  poetry  to  render  this  labor 
attractive  to  the  eyes,  like  a  garden  of  flowers;  for  his  hope  was 
great  that  the  language  may  again  be  studied  in  which  the  inhabitants 
of  heaven  sing  the  praises  of  Him  who  clothes  Himself  with  light  as 
with  a  garment;  this  language  formerly  spoken  upon  earth  by  all  men, 
before  the  foolish  ones  were  scattered  and  their  speech  confounded; 
this  language   became  the  inheritance  of  God's  people  under  the 


224  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

tyranny  of  Egypt;  in  this  language  the  law  of  God  was  promulgated, 
Hiid  the  prophets  brought  healing  to  the  afflicted  nation.  He  would 
they  Avere  jealous  like  Nehemiah  (xiii. :  23-25)  for  the  purity  of  the 
language  of  Israel.  He  then  expresses  his  indignation  that  the  mis- 
tress should  have  been  reduced  to  the  state  of  the  servant,  and  the 
lawful  wife  to  that  of  the  concubine. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  (1045)  Ibn  Gabirol  published  his  etliico- 
philosophical  work,  "  Tikkun-middot  ha  Nefesh,"  which  was  trans- 
lated by  Ibn  Tibbon  into  Hebrew  (published  in  1550  and  often  since). 
In  his  work  Ibn  Gabirol  propounds  "  a  peculiar  theory  of  the  human 
temperament  and  passions,  enumerates  twenty  propensities  corres- 
ponding to  the  four  dispositions  multiphed  by  the  five  senses,  and 
shows  how  the  leaning  of  the  soul  to  the  one  side,  may  be  brought 
to  the  moral  equipoise  by  observing  the  declarations  of  Scrijjture 
and  the  ethical  sayings  of  the  Talmud,  which  he  largely  quotes,  and 
which  he  intersperses  with  the  chief  sayings  of  the  '  Divine  Socrates,' 
his  pujiil  Plato,  Aristotle,  the  Arabic  philosophers,  and  especially  with 
the  maxims  of  a  Jewish  moral  philosopher  called  ''Chetiz  Al-kuti."f 
But  as  his  work  contained  also  personal  allusions  to  some  leading 
men  of  Saragossa,  he  was  expatriated  in  1046.  After  traveling  from 
one  place  to  another,  he  finally  found  a  protector  in  the  celebrated 
Samuel  Ha-Najid,  a  Jew  also,  then  prime  minister  of  Spain,  and  he 
was  enabled  to  continue  his  philosophic  studies,  as  the  result  of 
which  he  produced  his  greatest  work,  called  in  Hebrew  Meekour 
Hachajim,  "  The  Fountain  of  life,"  and  in  Latin  "  Fons  Vitte  "  | 

The  influence  which  Ibn  Gabirol  exercised  on  Jewish  philoso- 
phy cannot  be  too  highly  estimated.  He  certainly  deserves  to  be 
called  "  the  Jewish  Plato,"  as  Graetz  chooses  to  name  him;  but  the 
assertion  that  he  was  the  first  philosopher  of  the  middle  ages,  and 
that  his  philosophical  treatises  were  used  by  the  scholastic  philoso- 
phers, is  an  error,  as  Lewis  ("  History  of  Philosophy,"  II.  63)  fuUy 
proves,  although  Munk,  ancl  after  him  Graetz,  fell  into  the  same 
mistake.  § 

From  frequent  quotations  in  Aben  Ezra's  commentaries,  it  seems 
that  Ibn  Gabirol  must  also  have  written  some  exjDositions  of  the  Old 
Testament  Scrij^tures,  though  none  such  are  known  to  us  at  }n-esent 
to  exist.  But  what  gave  Ibn  Gabirol  a  lasting  fame  were  his  poet- 
ical talents, which  were  exercised  on  many  different  subjects — hymns, 
elegies,  confession  of  sins,  descriptions  of  the  future.  In  all  these  we 
find  a  noble  and  affecting  echo  of  the  poetry  of  his  ancestors.  The 
Kether  Malkuth,  "  The  Royal  Diadem,"  a  grand  devotional  and  di 
dactic  hymn  in  841  verses,  giving  a  jjoetical  resume  of  the  Aristotlean 
Cosmology,  is  looked  upon  as  his  masterpiece.  This  beautiful  and 
pathetic  composition  of  profound  philosophical  sentiments  and  great 
devotion,  the  pious  Israelite  recites  during  the  night  passed  in 
watching  and  prayer  before  the  great  day  of  Atonement.     After  a 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


225 


brilliant  introduction,  this  poem,  in  honor  of  the  goodness  and  power 
of  God,  contains  first  a  description  of  the  universe,  rich  in  details 
which  give  us  much  interesting  information  on  the  ideas  held  by  the 
Talmudists  concerning  the  laws  of  creation;  then  follow  praises  of 
the  greatness  and  wisdom  of  God,  as  manifested  in  the  construction 
of  the  human  body;  he  then  dwells,  with  equal  richness  of  language 
and  poetry,  on  the  nothingness  and  misery  of  human  nature,  and  the 
necessity  for  humiliation  before  God  on  account  of  sin.  The  whole 
closes  with  a  prayer  for  the  temporal  and  eternal  preservation  of 
Israel,  their  restoration  to  their  country,  and  the  rebuilding  of  their 
sanctuary,  and  this  is  followed  by  a  magnificent  doxology.  Gabirol 
is  also  the  author  of  another  work  on  ethics,  entitled  "  Mibchar 
Happeninuim,"  a  collection  of  ethical  sentences  fi-om  Greek  and 
Arabian  philosoj)hers,  which  has  been  translated  into  English  by 
B.  H.  Asher,  imder  the  title  ''A  Choice  of  Pearls,"  London,  1859. 


*  This  grammar,  which  originaUy  consisted  of  four  hundred  verses,  has  never  been  printed 
entire,  but  parts  of  it  have  been  published  by  Parchan  in  his  Hebrew  Lexicon  (Paris,  1844),  and 
by  L.  Dukes  in  '•  Shire   Shelomo"  (Hanover,  1858). 

t  This  philosopher  was  probably  the  composer  of  an  Arabic  paraphrase  of  the  Pealms  in 
rhyme,  cited  by  Moses  Ibn  Ezra,  by  whom  he  was  called  once  Al-Kuti,  and  once  Al-Futi,  a 
variation  easily  explained  by  the  Arabic  characters.  SteinscLueider,  "Jewish  Literat." 
(London,  1857.) 

t  Fragments  of  a  Hebrew  translation  and  an  entire  French  version  were  published  by  Munfe 
in  his  "  Melanges  de  Philosophie  Juif  et  Arabe."    (Paris, 1857 -59.) 

§  It  is  more  proper  to  call  Ibn  Gabirol  as  Ueberweg  does  in  his  "History  of  Philosophy,"  I., 
424,  "  the  earliest  representative  of  philosophy  among  the  Jews." 

Hymnologist— A  composer  of  hymns.  j     Equipoise — Equality  of   weight,  equilibra- 

Caliph  -  A  title  assumed  by  the  Saracens  in  j  tion. 
succeeding  Mahomet.  "  \     Pathetic — Aflfecting. 

Ethics    The  doctrine  of  morality.  j     Doxology— A  form  of  giving  glory  to  God. 

Cosmology — The  science  of  the  universe.        I 


MEDITATIONS. 

BY    GABIROL. 


Forget  thine  anguish. 

Vexed  heart  again. 
Why  shouldst  thou  languish 

With  earthly  pain  ? 
The  husk  shall  slumber, 

Bedded  in  clay, 
Silent  and  sombre, 

Oblivion's  prey. 
But,  Spirit  immortal, 
Thou  at  Death's  portal 
Tremblest  with  fear. 
If  he  caress  thee. 
Curse  thee  or  bless  thee, 
Thou  must  draw  near. 
From  him  the  worth  of  thy  works  to 
hear. 

Why  full  of  terror. 
Compassed  with  error, 
PABT  n. — 15. 


Trouble  thy  heart 

For  thy  mortal  part  ? 

The  soul  flies  home — 

The  corpse  is  dumb. 

Of  all  thou  didst  have 

Follows  naught  to  the  grave. 

Thou  fliest  thy  nest. 

Swift  as  a  bird  to  thy  place  of  rest. 

What  avail  grief  and  fasting 
Where  nothing  is  lasting? 
Pomp,  domination. 
Become  tribulation, 
In  a  health  giving-draught, 
A  death-dealing  shaft. 

Wealth — an  illusion. 

Power — a  lie. 
Over  all  dissolution 


326 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  EEADER 


Creeps  silent  and  sly. 
Unto  others  remain 
The  goods  thou  didst  gain 
With  infinite  pain. 

Life  is  a  vine  branch, 

A  vintager,  Death. 
He  threatens  and  lowers 

More  near  with  each  breath. 
Then  hasten,  arise  ! 

Seek  God,  oh,  my  soul ! 
For  time  quickly  flies — 

Still  far  is  the  goal. 
Vain  heart  praying  dumbly, 
iearn  to  prize  humbly 

The  meanest  of  fare, 


Forget  all  thy  sorrow — 
Behold,  death  is  there  ! 

Dove-like  lamenting. 

Be  full  of  repenting. 

Left  vision  supernal, 

To  raptures  eternal. 

On  every  occasion. 

Seek  lasting  salvation; 

Pour  thy  heart  out  in  weeping, 

While  others  are  sleeping; 

Pray  to  Him — when  all's  still, 

Performing  His  will. 

And  so  shall  the  angel  of  peace  be  thy 

warden , 
And  guide  thee  at  last  to  the  heavenly 

garden.  Emma  Lazarus. 


RASH  I. 

11030-1105  A.j 
Rabbi  Solomon  ben  Isaac,  known  as  Yitzchaki  .Jarchi,  but  better 
Imown  as  Raslii,  was  one  of  the  most  talented  and  voluminous 
writers  and  commentators  belonging  to  our  race;  but  while  his  works 
have  been  handed  down  to  us,  and  have  been  multiplied  in  almost 
innumerable  copies,  yet  the  known  incidents  are  so  few  that  there  is 
scarcely  sufficient  to  provide  materials  for  his  biography;  indeed,  so 
little  is  known,  that  the  very  place  and  date  of  his  birth  are  matters 
of  dispute.  There  are  some  who  contend  that  he  was  born  in 
Lunel,  and  that  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four .  A  ccording  to  the 
best  authorities,  however,  he  was  bom  in  Trayes,  ancient  Trescis,  a 
town  in  France,  about  the  year  1030,  and  he  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy-five.  Passionately  devoted  to  the  attainment  of  knowledge, 
he  pursued  it  with  energy;  and  in  order  to  gain  instruction,  at  the 
best  possible  sources,  he  sjDent  a  great  portion  of  his  life  traveling- 
through  Germany,  Brance,  Italy,  Greece,  Egypt,  Palestine,  and 
Persia;  conversing  with  the  learned  in  every  city  he  passed  through, 
and  thus  continually  adding  to  his  already  wonderful  store  of  knowl- 
edge. During  his  travels  he  occasionally  gave  lectures  in  the  various 
schools  and  synagogues  he  visited.  He  finally  settled  in  the  city  of 
Worms,  where  he  married  and  established  a  school,  and  where  his 
lectures,  fi'om  which  partly  arose  his  writings,  were  attended  by 
hosts  of  pupils,  who  ardently  received  his  instructions.  At  Worms 
there  is  shown  to  the  visitor  the  chamber  where  his  pupils  assem- 
bled, and  the  stone  seat  in  the  wall  where  he  sat.  His  life,  although 
passed  in  labor,  was  nevertheless  graced  by  many  noble  virtues,  and 
was  remarkable  for  its  jDurity  and  religious  fervor,  lie  had,  three 
daughters,  who  were  united  in  marriage  to  men  foremost  in  the 
ranks   of  the   Jewish   literati;    and  his  grandsons   were  famed  as 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  237 

skilled  commentators  on  the  Talmud.  By  his  deep  learning,  and  his 
zeal  in  teaching,  he  acquired  a  most  remarkable  reputation.  The 
terms,  "  the  Great  Luminary,  par  excellence  the  expounder  of  the 
law,  and  the  chief  of  the  tribes  of  Judah,"  were  all  applied  to  him, 
but  the  name  Rashi  is  the  one  by  which  he  is  best  known. 

The  most  stupendous  labor  of  Rashi  was  his  commentary  on 
the  Talmud,  a  work  without  which  the  Tahnud  itself  would  almost 
be  a  sealed  book.  This  commentary  explains  in  a  lucid  manner  the 
difficidties  found  in  the  text,  the  many  technical  terms  employed, 
and  throws  at  all  times  a  ray  of  light  on  the  subtle  arguments  of 
the  Rabbins.  Next  to  the  Talmud  may  be  classed  his  commentary 
on  the  greater  portion  of  the  Bible,  a  work  which,  although  written 
in  an  abrupt  and  concise  style,  and  quoting  largely  from  the  Talmud 
and  Midrashim,  is,  however,  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  student, 
and  largely  aids  him  to  understand  the  sacred  text.  The  principal 
portion  of  this  work  has  been  translated  into  Latin,  and  the  whole 
of  his  commentary  on  the  Pentateuch  has  been  translated  into  Ger- 
man. The  ethics  of  the  fathers,  the  Mishna,  and  100  chapters  of 
the  Bereshith  Rabba,  a  Midrash,  received  also  a  commentary  from 
his  prolific  pen.  Among  his  original  writings  were  Lecute  Hafardes, 
a  work  on  rites  and  ceremonies,  and  eight  penitential  hymns.  A 
detailed  list  of  his  writings,  and  the  dates  of  publication,  wdll  be  found 
in  the  catalogue  of  Hebrew  works  in  the  British  Museum  Library, 
under  the  head  of  Solomon  Ben  Isaac  of  Trayes. 

It  is  a  fact  worth  remarking,  that  Maimonides,  who  lived  shortly 
after  Rashi,  while  advising  his  son  to  pay  sj)ecial  attention  to  the 
study  of  the  exegetical  works  of  Aben-Ezra,  merely  alludes  to  Rashi, 
by  saying;  "  That  he  had  abstained  from  writing  certain  commen- 
taries, from  finding  that  he  had  been  anticipated  by  a  Gaul."  The 
only  solution  to  tliis  reticence  is  the  great  dislike  that  Maimonides 
had  to  the  French  Rabbins,  a  dislike  that  may  almost  be  termed  a 
prejudice,  for  he  advised  his  son  entirely  to  avoid  them.  The  more 
modern  and  gentler  Mendelssohn,  however,  renders  him  the  justice 
his  works  merit,  and  speaks  of  him  in  terms  of  the  highest  praise. 
It  is,  however,  only  possible  thoroughly  to  appreciate  the  labors  of 
Rashi  by  a  deep  study  of  his  writings.  Then,  and  only  then,  wdll 
be  discovered  the  value  of  those  works  which  have  immortalized 
him,  and  which  have  spread  through  every  clime  the  name  of  one 
who,  not  only  as  an  author,  but  as  a  pious,  good  man,  has  been  the 
means  of  showering  honor  upon  the  race  to  which  he  belongs. 

J.  T. 


Voluminous — Consisting  of  many  volumes       To  Akticipate— To  take  sometliing  sooner 
or  books.  !  than  another. 

Fervor — Zeal.  !      Gaul, — A  native  of  Trance;  ancient  name  of 

Literati — The  learned.  i  France. 

Technical — Not  in  common  nse.  I      Reticence — Concealment  by  silence. 

Prolific — Productive.  I      To  Immortalize-To  rerpetuate. 


228 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


THE  LXVIII  PSALM. 


God  will  arise,  and  then  his  foes 
Will  find  fulfilled,  predicted  woes; 
As  smoke  dispersed  goes  out  of  sight. 
Their  joj's  die  out  in  dismal  night. 

Like  wax  that  melts  near  glowing  coals. 

Strength  melts  away  from  god  less  souls, 

But  saints  in  might  shall  rise  from  dust; 

Triumphant  songs  await  the  just. 
Raise  deserts  to  highways  for  God, 
Bedeck  his  way  with  flow'ry  sod; 
Behold  him  marching,  praised  as  Jah, 
Renew  the  hymn  of  Deborah. 

Father  of  orphans,  widows'  Judge. 

Thou   seest   as  wrong  man's  rankling 
grudge; 

Homes  free,  enlarged,  thou  giv'st  Thine 
own, 

But  rebels  live  'mid  wilds  alone. 
When  Thou,  0  God,  didst  lead  Thy 

flock, 
Their  drink  supply  from  smitten  rock. 
The  earth  convulsed  and  Sinai's  flame 
Proclaimed  Thy  holy,  awful  name. 

Thy  holy  law  from  highest  heaven, 
At  Sinai  was  to  Israel  given; 
All  laws  of  nature  prostrate  fell 
When  came  Thy  law  with  men  to  dwell. 
Thy    gifts    will    come  in  plenteous 

showers, 
How  precious  such  reviving  hours  ! 
Thy    tribes  at  home    from    roving 

cease, 
And  poor  men's  homes  are  blessed 

with  peace. 
The  Lord  sends  word — the  publishers 
Are   women's  choirs,  blest    messen- 
gers. 
Kings,  wirh  their  hosts,  break  forth  in 

flight. 
Some    Heber's  wife   will    close    the 
fight. 
When  peace   restored   make  prospects 

bright, 
The  dove's  back,  silvered,  will  be  white. 
With  gold  for  lining  of  each  wing — 
With  chantings  such  glad  patriots  sing. 
When   God  gave  kings   their   cup  of 

woe. 
Then   Salmon    black    seemed    white 

as  snow; 
The  peaks  of  llermon  are  sublime, 
Zion  their  name,  in  ancient  time. 


A  mount  of  God  is  Hermon  Mount, 
Its  peaks  may  guard  an  envious  fomit. 
Do  envy's  eyes  watch  Israel's  hill'i' 
God's  holy  throne  will  be   here   still, 
J"'or   God's  march  chariots   are   pre- 
pared , 
Ten   thousand    doubled,    thousands 

squared. 
As  once  Mount  Sinai  saw  His  power. 
That   same  law  beams    from    Zion's 
tower. 
Thou  hast  ascended  on  Thy  throne 
Made  captives  many,  all  Thine  own; 
Even  rebels  yielded  to  Thy  will. 
And  hailed  Thee  King  upon  Thy  hill. 
The   Lord  Most    High  !     Him  bless 

each  day; 
Our  heaviest  loads  He  takes  away, 
God  saves,  in  His  omnipotence, 
Prom   death's  deep   pit — from  dark- 
ness dense. 
Besides,  He'll  crush  proud  hairy  scalps, 
Defying  him,  like  oaks  on  Alps; 
His  arm    brings  down  from  Hermon's 

beighr. 
No  ocean  depth  eludes  His  sight. 
His  foot  will  crush  tall  foes  in  blood, 
And  leave  to  dogs  the  purple  flood; 
Then  hosts  in  triumph  march  around 
The     hill    of     God     with     trophies 
crowned. 

Singers  in  front,  with  harps  behind, 
And  both  with  virgins,  drumming,  lined; 
Bless  ye  the  God  of  Israel, 
Ye  chosen  tribes,  His  wonders  tell. 

Thou     Benjamin,    thou     small    yet 
fierce. 

Wilt  armies  great  with  terror  pierce; 

From  Judah's  sling  hosts  vanquished 

fly- 

March  !     Zebulun  and  Naphtali. 
Strengthen,  renew,  else  all  is  naught 
Which   Thy     strength.    Lord,    for   us 

hath  wrought, 
Jerusalem  will  be  Thy  seat. 
Where  kings  lay  tribute  at  Thy  feet. 
Rebuke   the   beasts  where  grows  the 

reed , 
Egyptianbulls  and  calves  they  lead; 
Let  each  one  pay  some  silver  coin. 
And  laws    accept    which   peace  en- 
join. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


229 


Princes  whose  homes  are  on  the  Nile, 
Will  seek  the  Lord,  obtain  his  smile. 
Rich  Ethiopia  will  bring 
Her  heart  and  gold  to  God,  the  King. 
Yet  kingdoms  of    all    lands,  praise 

God, 
And  deprecate  his  angry  rod. 
Most  ancient  heavens  His  footprints 

bear. 
His  voice  !  What  matchless  strength  ! 
Beware ! 


Ascribe  ye  strength  to  God  most  High; 
His  helping  hand  is  always  nigh, 
Yet  dwells  His  power  above  the  skies — 
Beyond  all  reach  of  mortal  eyes. 
God's  palaces  impress  with  awe, 
He  gave  to  Israel  His  law, 
Bless  God,    our    fount    of    strength 

and  force. 
Bless    God,   of     perfect    gifts    the 
source. 

A.  I. 


RABBI  JUDAH-HA-LEVI. 

[1140-1190  A.] 

Rabbi  Judah-ha-Levi  Ben  Samuel  was  one  of  the  greatest  geniuses 
of  whom  the  Jews  of  his  period  and  of  all  other  times  can  boast. 
Thorouglily  acquainted  with  Rabbinical  and  Arabic  literature,  he 
sought  to  impart  his  knowledge  also  to  the  laity  by  means  of  verses. 
All  other  Jewish  poets  were  inferior  to  him,  and  he  exhausted  the 
whole  profundity  of  poetical  treasure ;  in  his  commendatory  poems 
prevails  an  apprehensive  ardor;  in  his  elegies  the  most  austere  feel- 
ings of  grief,  which  irresistibly  transports  every  perception;  in  his 
letters  the  most  splendid  clearness;  in  his  representations  the  most 
sublime  view  of  the  world. 

This  Rabbi  Judah  is  also  the  author  of  the  religious-philosophical 
book  Cosri;  it  is  written  in  Arabic,  and  aims  at  defending  and  pro- 
tecting the  Jewish  religion.  A  king,  Bulan  the  Chasarean,  is  engaged 
in  conversation  with  a  Rabbi  and  thus  becomes  healed  of  his  doubts, 
gets  converted  to  the  Jewish  views  of  a  Supreme  Being,  and  his 
ruling  of  the  universe.  He  endeavors  to  show  how  the  whole 
Jewish  religion  agrees  especially  with  human  reason,  and  whatever 
Judaism  possesses  in  a  particular  or  exclusive  manner,  serves  only 
to  maintain  and  to  strengthen  its  confessors  in  true  religion. 

At  the  age  of  fifty  he  undertook  a  joiu'ney  to  the  Holy  Land, 
which  was  then  the  usual  custom.  In  doing  so,  he  had  no  further 
intention  than  to  satisfy  his  heart,  which  was  longing  to  behold  the 
Holy  Land  of  his  fathers.  What  he  saw  made  a  deep  impression  on 
his  soul;  the  emptiness  of  the  formerly  populous  country,  the  barren- 
ness of  the  once  fi-uitful  soil,  the  barbarism  and  the  misery  of  the 
few  inhabitants,  he  could  not  behold  without  breaking  forth  into  loud 
lamentations.  Being  thus  once  placed  in  the  deej)est  grief  concern- 
ing his  nation,  he,  in  a  public  thoroughfare,  began  to  tear  his  clothes, 
threw  away  his  shoes,  and  commenced  singing  an  elegy  on  the  faU 
of  Jerusalem,  which  he  himself  had  composed  for  the  occasion.  An 
Arabian  who  happened  to  see  him  in  this  state,  tried  all  means  to 
disturb  him  in  his  devotion,  by  heaping  upon  him  all  manner  of  scorn 
and  threats;  but  finding  his  evil  intentions  unheeded,  he  became  so 


230 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


enraged  that  he  set  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  rode  over  the  obstinate 
man.  Unfortunately  the  horse's  foot  hit  the  poor  poet  in  such  manner 
that  he  ahnost  immediately  breathed  his  last.  He  wrote  a  great  deal 
of  poetry,  which  found  admission  into  the  Liturgy,  and  among 
which  is  the  celebrated  elegy,  the  Zionide  ("Zion,  don't  you  care  for 
the  lamentations  of  your  caj^tives  ?"). 

Many  of  his  writings,  which  are  very  valuable,  have  been  handed 
down  to  us,  and  it  is  said  that  his  daughter,  the  only  child  he  had, 
was  married  to  Aben  Ezra.  j^ip.  EheentempeL 


Elegt — A  mournful  song;  a  funeral  song;  a  short  poem  with  points  or  turns. 


ON  THE  VOYAGE  TO  JEKUSALEM. 


BY  JUDAH 

My  two-score  years  and  ten  are  over. 

Never  again  shall  youth  be  mine, 
The  years  are  readv  winged  for  flying, 

What  crav'st  thou  still  of  feast  ana 
wine  ? 
Wilt  thou   still  court   naan's   acclama- 
tions, 

Forgetting  what  the  Lord  hath  said, 
And  forfeiting  thy  weal  eternal, 

By  thine  own  guilty  heart  misled  ? 
Shalt  thou  be  never  done  with  folly, 

Still  fresh  and  new  must  it  arise? 
Oh,  h?ed  it  not,  heed  not  the  senses, 

But  follow  God,  be  meek  and  wise. 
Yea,  profit  by  thy  days  remaining. 

They  hurry  swiftly  to  the  goal. 
Be  zealous  in  the  Lord's  high  service. 

And  banish  falsehood  from  thy  soul. 
Use  all  thy  strength,  use  all  thy  fervor. 

Defy  thine  own  desires,  awaken  ! 
Be  not  afraid  when  seas  are  foaming. 

And  earth  to  her  foundations  shaken. 
Benumbed  the  hand  then  of  the  sailor, 

The   captain's   skill   and    power  are 
lamed. 
Gaily  they  sailed  with  colors  flying. 

And  now  turn  home  again  ashamed. 
The  ocean  is  our  only  refuge. 

The  sand  bank  is  our  only  goal, 
The  masts  are  swaying  as  with  terror, 

And  quivering  does  the  vessel  roll; 
The  mad  wind  frolics  with  the  billows, 

Now  smoothes  them  low,  now  lashes 
high— 
Now  they  are  storming  up  like  lions, 

And  now  like  serpents  still  they  lie. 


Alack— Alas;  an  expression  of  sorrow. 


And  wave  on  wave  is  ever  pressing, 

They  hiss,  they  whisper  soft  of  tonej 
Alack  !  was  that  the  vessel  splitting? 

Are  sail  and  mast  and  rudder  gone  ? 
Here,  screams   of  fright;  there,   silent 
weeping, 

The  bravest  feels  his  courage  fail. 
What  stead  our  prudence  or  our  wisdom? 

The  soul  itself  can  naught  avail. 
And  each  one  to  his  God  is  crving. 

Soar  up  my  soul,  to  Him  aspire, 
Who  wrought  a  miracle  for  Jordan, 

Extol  Him,  oh  !  angelic  choir. 
Remember  Him  who  stays  the  tempest. 

The  stormy  billows  doth  control. 
Who  quickeneth  the  lifeless  body. 

And  fills  the  empty  frame  with  soul. 
Behold  !   once  more  appears  a  wonder,. 

The  angry  waves,  erst  raging  wild. 
Like  quiet  flocks  of  sheep  reposing, 

So  soft,  so  still,  so  gently  mild. 
The  sun  descends,  and  high  in  heaven. 

The  golden-circled  moon  doth  stand ; 
Within  the  sea,  the  stars  are  straying. 

Like  wanderers  in  an  unknown  land. 
The  lights  celestial  in  the  waters 

Are  flaming  clearly  as  above. 
As  though  the  very  heavens  descended. 

To  seal  a  covenant  of  love. 
Perchance  both  sea  and  sky,twin  oceans, 

F'rom  the  same  source  of  grace  are 
sprung; 
Twixt  these,    my    heart,   a  third   sea,, 
surges. 

With  songs  resounding,  clearly  sung. 
Emma  Lazarus. 

Steae— Use;  help. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  231 

ABEN-ESKA. 

[1120-1195  A.] 
Eminent  as  Halevi,  but  in  another  way,  was  Rabbi  Abraham  Ben 
Maier  Aben-Esra,  born  at  Toledo,  in  Spain,  where  lie  belonged  to  a 
highly  respectable  family.  He  was  possessed  of  much  learning,  but 
his  excellent  mind,  which  gathered  it,  is  still  more  remarkable  than 
the  bulk  of  the  gathering.  The  two  languages,  Hebrew  and  Arabic, 
he  understood  more  profoundly  than  any  one  before  him,  and  he 
handled  both  as  expert  inquirer  and  grammarian;  the  whole  exten- 
sive iield  of  Rabbinical  theology  he  had  thoroughly  investigated, 
and  into  the  spirit  of  the  Bible  he  had  penetrated  deeply;  mathe- 
matics and  astronomy  he  had  completely  studied  also,  without  which 
there  was  no  learning  in  those  times.  Maimonides  esteemed  him 
and  his  writings  so  highly,  that  he,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  his  son, 
advises  him  to  study  jirincipally  the  writings  of  Aben-Esra,  which, 
he  adds,  are  esj)ecially  distinguished  for  elegance,  learning  and  cor- 
rect opinion.  De  Kossi  says  of  him:  '•  He  was  a  renowned  Bible 
interpreter  and  theologian;  he  was  celebrated  as  physician,  philoso- 
pher, mathematician  and  astronomer,  as  well  as  grammarian,  phil- 
ologist and  poet."  Charisi,  himself  a  first-rate  poet,  bestows  on  him 
great  jDraise  for  his  poetic  talent.  Richard  Simon  says,  quite  j^lainly, 
that  among  the  Jews  there  was  no  other  who  inquired  into  the 
literal  sense  of  the  Bible  so  successfully,  and  has  especially  explained 
it  with  so  much  wisdom  and  profoundness  as  Aben-Esra.  His 
grammatical  works  show  deep  meditation;  they  were  greatlj  ad- 
mired, and  during  many  centuries  could  be  met  with  almost  every- 
where. His  mathematical  writings  shoAV  great  acuteness  of  mind; 
in  astronomy  he  is  considered  the  inventor  of  the  way  and  manner 
of  dividing  the  celestial  globe  through  the  middle  of  the  equator  into 
two  equal  parts;  besides  several  other  successful  discoveries  in  this 
branch  of  science,  which  were  readily  acknowledged  by  the  most 
eminent  mathematicians  of  the  day.  His  exegetic  works  are  re- 
markable for  their  careful  etymology,  acute  judgment  and  great 
learning.  But  all  this  knowledge  was  placed  in  the  shade  by  the 
light  of  his  genius;  his  wit  was  inexhaustible,  and  the  refined  satire 
of  his  pleasantry  made  him  conspicuous  to  the  greatest  advantage. 
He  undertook  many  journey's  to  diiierent  foreign  lands,  sojoui'uing 
in  the  year  1145  at  Mantua,  in  1156  in  Rhodes,  in  1159  in  England, 
and  in  1167  at  Rome.  Wherever  he  sj^ent  his  time  he  always 
sovxght  the  society  of  the  most  respectable  and  learned  men.  Some 
of  the  localities  where  he  stayed  for  any  length  of  time  became  the 
birthplace  of  several  of  his  literary  productions.  In  fact,  it  made 
no  difference  which  place  he  chose  for  his  residence;  the  fame  of  his 
talent  always  reached  there  before  him,  and  thus  he  was  everywhere 
received  with  esteem,  while  at  his  depaiiure  nothing  but  admir- 
ation and  gratitude  followed  him. 


232  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

The  Caraites  maintain  one  of  their  learned  rabbis,  Rabbi  Japhel 
Halevi,  to  be  the  actual  tutor  of  Aben-Esra.  This  perhaps  is  only 
so  far  possible,  inasmuch  as  the  great  progress  of  the  Caraits  in 
Spain  just  at  that  time  may  have  offered  an  excellent  opportunity 
for  his  own  cultivation,  and  of  which  it  seems  he  made  good  use; 
but  he  never  belonged  to  that  body,  a  fact  which  the  numerous 
sallies  directed  against  them  in  his  writings  must  sufficiently  cor- 
roborate. 

His  works  are  many,  all  of  them  vnritten  in  a  pure  and  concise 
style,  and  in  an  ingenious  and  instructive  manner;  his  poems  are 
beautiful,  full  of  wit,  and  his  saUies  against  rejectable  opinions  acute 
and  striking.  He  proves  in  all  his  works  that  a  strict  adherence  to 
Eal)binism  well  agrees  with  the  plainest  explanation  of  Holy  Writ, 
which  the  Caraits,  as  is  well  known,  entirely  deny.  It  is  supposed 
that  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  he  died  in  the  Isle  of  Ehodes. 

JuD.  Eheentempel. 


Philologist — A  critic;     a  grammarian;    a 
linguist. 
ExEGETic — Explanatory . 
Satire— A  poem  against  vice,  folly  etc. 


Censobious— Severe;  to  censure. 
Caeaites — A  sect  of  Jews,  now   only   to  be 
met  with  in  Russia  and  Austria. 
Sally — Extravagant  flight;  frolic;  sprightly. 


SONGS  OF  THE  NATIONS. 

Among  the  Arabs  in  their  fiery  way,         In  wit  and  spirit  doeth  the  Greek  excel, 
The  song  doth  breathe  alone  of  love's  And  India's  bards  of   curious  riddles 

sweet  sway;  tell, 

The    Roman  sings  exultant  of    war's  But  songs  devoted  to  the  Maker's  praise, 

spoils,  The  Jews  alone  among  the  nations  raise. 

Of  battles,  sieges  and  warrior's  toils;  Aben-Esra. 

MAIMONIDES. 

[1131-1201  A.] 
Rabbi  Moses  Ben  Maimon  Iben  Joseph,  better  known  to  the  liter- 
ary world  as  Maimonides,  and  to  the  Jews  as  Rambam,  from  the 
initial  letters  of  his  name,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Cordova  in  the 
year  1131.  He  descended  from  an  illustrious  line  of  ancestors, 
tracing  his  lineage  to  the  celebrated  Rabbi  Judah  Hanassi,  the 
Patriarch  of  Tiberias,  fi'om  him  to  the  pious  Hillel,  the  elder.  Chief 
of  the  Sanhedrion,  in  the  time  of  Herod,  and  through  HiUel,  by  the 
female  side,  to  the  royal  house  of  David.  His  father,  Maimon,  was 
a  Judge  in  Cordova,  a  man  of  high  rank,  exalted  position  and  great 
learning — a  fit  parent  to  so  illustrious  a  son.  Maimonides  never 
experienced  the  love  and  tender  care  of  a  mother,  she  having  died 
in  giving  him  birth;  but  he  received  the  watchful  attention  of  his 
father,  by  whom  he  was  instructed,  aided,  however,  by  the  most 
celebrated  teachers  of  that  period.     Legend  has  been  busily  em- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  233 

ployed  to  cast  a  mystery  around  his  boyliood  days,  but  a  career  like 
that  of  Maimonides  requires  no  fables  to  elevate  it.  Stripped  fr-oni 
all  extraneous  circumstances,  it  appears  that  his  boyhood  did  not 
give  promise  of  the  celebrity  he  obtained  in  manhood.  Dull  in 
acquiring  knowledge,  and  slothful  in  his  habits,  he  was  outshone 
in  his  youth  by  his  brother.  The  praises  the  latter  received  for 
his  diligence  aroused  all  the  slumbering  energy  of  his  nature,  and 
brought  to  light  the  latent  talent  he  possessed.  He  now  applied 
himself  to  study  with  untiring  zeal.  It  is  said  that  he  left  his  home 
and  traveled  to  Lucena,  then  noted  for  its  famous  school,  and  that 
he  was  admitted  as  a  jjupil  under  an  assumed  name.  Here  he 
made  such  rapid  and  almost  marvelous  progress  in  all  branches  of 
study,  that  his  rejDutation  began  to  be  noised  abroad,  and  the  dvdl, 
slothful  boy  was  changed  into  the  famous  scholar.  He  returned 
home  to  Cordova,  where  his  fame  had  preceded  him  He  received 
permission  to  deliver  a  public  discourse  in  the  synagogue,  which 
was  thronged  to  hear  him.  His  address  was  so  full  of  learning  and 
so  eloquent,  that  he  called  forth  the  admiration  of  all  present, 
among  whom  was  his  father,  who  was  afterward  delighted  to  find  in 
the  renowned  scholar  his  own  son.  His  stay  in  his  native  town  was 
attended  with  disaster,  as  both  he  and  his  father  were  compelled, 
under  penalty  of  death  in  the  event  of  refusal,  to  embrace  the  Mo- 
hammedan religion.  This  they  did  outwardly ;  but  he,  however, 
shortly  afterward  escaped  from  Cordova,  and,  after  many  trials  and 
anxieties,  arrived  in  Egypt,  where  he  at  once  professed  Judaism, 
and  where  he  for  a  time  maintained  himself  by  following  the  busi- 
ness of  a  diamond  merchant.  Maimonides,  however,  could  not  long 
remain  in  obscurity.  He  established  a  college,  where  he  delivered 
philosophical  lectures,  and  he  also  practiced  as  a  physician.  His 
fame  soon  became  as  established  in  Egypt  as  in  his  native  town, 
and  he  w^as  appointed  by  the  celebrated  Saladin  as  his  physician. 
His  career  now  became  prosperous,  but  his  success  was  only  obtained 
by  the  most  unremitting  labor.  He,  however,  found  time  for  liter- 
ary pursuits,  and  his  writings  on  nearly  every  subject  he  touched 
bear  the  stamp  of  the  greatest  genius.  He  was  married,  and  had 
one  son,  and  one  daughter,  who  died  young.  His  son  Abraham 
was  the  object  of  his  greatest  care,  and  his  well-known  letters  ad- 
dressed to  him  remain  to  this  day  as  models  of  excellence,  both  in 
composition  and  parental  forecast.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy, 
mourned  by  thousands;  indeed,  so  great  a  calamity  was  his  death 
deemed  that  "wailing  and  lamentation  resounded  on  every  side, 
and  public  fasts  and  mourning  were  ordered  evei'y where."  In  com- 
plying with  his  dying  wish,  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  Holy 
Land. 

As  a  writer,  Maimonides  may  be  ranked  with  the  first  of  any  age, 
and  his  well-deserved  reputation  is  as  great  and  bright  now  as  in 


234 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


the  days  when  lie  lived.  His  j)riiicipal  work  is  the  Yad  Hachsacah, 
"  The  Strong  Hand,"  or  Mishna  Thora,  a  repetition  of  the  law, 
wherein  he  endeavored  to  "  arrange  the  chaotic  materials  scattered 
through  the  two  Talmuds."  This  work  is  written  in  pure  Hebrew. 
His  other  great  work  is  the  Moreh  Nebuchim,  "Guide  to  the  Per- 
plexed," a  work  which  called  down  an  excommunication  on  the 
writer,  but  which  has  outlived  its  puny  adversaries.  In  this  work 
Maimonides  attempted  "  the  reconciliation  of  religion  with  phil- 
osophy." Parts  of  the  Yad  Hachsacah  have  been  translated  into 
Latin  and  English,  and  the  whole  of  the  Moreh  Nebuchim  into 
Latin  by  Buxtorf,  and  into  French,  from  the  original  Arabic  in  which 
it  was  written,  by  the  celebrated  Munk  of  Paris.  As  it  would  ex- 
tend this  article  too  much  to  give  a  list  of  all  his  works,  we  shall 
reserve  that  for  a  future  publication;  and  we  shall  conclude  by  say- 
ing that  Maimonides  well  deserved  the  tribute  of  honor  paid  to 
him,  that  "  from  Moses,  the  law-giver,  until  Moses,  the  son  of  Mai- 
mon,  none  has  arisen  like  Moses."  J.  T. 


Extraneous — Belonging  to  a  different  sub-  i      Sanhedeion — The  Chief  Council  among  lh& 


stance,  foreign. 
Latent— Hidden;  concealed. 
To  Forecast— To  foresee. 
Chaotic— Confused. 


Jews,  composed  of  seventy  elders,  over  whom 
the  High -priest  jiresided. 

Philosophy — Knowledge,  natural  or  moral. 

To  Reconcile  — To  compose  differences. 


A  SONG  OF  PRAISE. 

Psalms  CXLV. 


Maker  and  King  of  all  1  see, 
My  grateful  praise  to  Thee; 
Forever  be  Thy  name  adored. 
Awake  my  powers  to  bless  the  Lord. 

Each  rolling  day,  to  Thee  belong, 
The  morning  and  the  evening  song; 
The  greatness  of  Thy  mighty  deeds 
The  deepest  search  of  thought  exceeds. 

Thy  wondrous  works,  from  age  to  age, 
In  worship  will  the  world  engage, 
And  future  nations  shall  unite 
To  praise  Thy  majesty  and  might. 

Nations  "  Thou  madest  of   one  blood" 
Shall  freely  own  the  Lord  is  good ; 
And  children's  children  shall  confess 
The  wonders  of  Thy  righteousness. 


All  His  vast  works  shall  give  Him  praise. 
And  saints  the  grateful  anthem  raise, 
T  h  sons  of  men  in  songs  to  tell, 
"  .lehovah  hath  done  all  things  well." 

Thy  kingdom,  Lord,  safe  and  secure, 
Throughout  all  ages  shall  endure; 
The  weak,  supported  by  Thy  hand. 
In  strength  and  vigor  firmly  stand. 

Thy  bounty,  Lord,  most  freely  gives 
The  food  of  everything  that  lives; 
Righteous  art  Thou  in  all  that's  done 
;  Beneath  the  circuit  of  the  sun. 

I  To  all  who  call  upon  the  Lord, 
I  In  truth,  shall  be  a  sure  reward; 
j  To  all  who  fear,  He'll  grant  ,Lupplies 
Of  all  they  wish,  when  troubles  rise. 


Thou  openest  wide  Thy  bounteous  hand,  '  All  they  that  love  the  Lord  shall  share 
To  spread  Thy  grace  o'er  every  land;      |  The  gifts  of  His  preserving  care; 
The  Lord  is  good  to  every  soul,  j  While  they  who  walk  in  wicked  ways 

His  tender  mercies  crown  the  whole.       j  '  'Shall  scarcely  live  out  half  their  days. " 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  235 

My  mouth,   0   Lord,  shall    speak   Thy  I  Revere  Thy  name,  Thy  truth  extol, 

praise,  ijoug  as  the  sun  and  moon  shall  roil, 

And  let  all  flesh  in  swelling;  lavs  H.  S. 


DON  ISAAC  ABAEBANEL. 

[1487— 150!)  A.] 
I. 

Among  the  many  eminent  men  of  the  Jews  of  Portugal  none 
ranks  higher  than  Don  Isaac  Abarbanel,  who,  owing  to  his  position, 
his  upright  character,  his  sincere  love  for  Judaism,  his  philosophic 
and  exegetical  accomplishments,  his  political  adroitness,  his  practi- 
cal usefulness,  and  his  embittered  fate,  is  unquestionably  the  most 
renowned  of  the  Jews"  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  especially  of  those 
Jewish  statesmen  who,  in  centuries  past,  rendered  many  extraordi- 
nary services  to  their  country,  and  thus  contributed  much  toward  its 
prosperity. 

Abarbanel  traces  the  descent  of  his  most  noble  family  in  a  direct 
line  from  David.  Yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  his  mind  and  his 
whole  conduct  bear  the  stamp  of  true  nobility.  Of  his  renowned 
ancestors,  the  worthy  grandchild  counts  upward  of  six,  whose 
names,  like  sparkling  stars,  he  adds  to  his  own,  although  concerning 
them  nothing  remarkable  has  been  handed  down  to  vis.  Seville  was 
their  home.  Here  lived  his  learned  great-grandfather  during  the 
reign  of  the  pious  and  wise  Alphonso  of  Castilian.  By  the  explana- 
tion of  the  simple  -svord  Nochri,  which  he  gave  to  his  learned 
Christian  friend  Thomas,  a  confidant  of  the  wise  Alphonso,  he 
averted  many  evil  consequences  which  threatened  his  co-religionists, 
and  became  afterward  a  great  favorite  with  the  king.  Here  also 
resided  his  grandfather,  Samuel  Abarbanel,  who  in  the  same  manner 
was  noted  as  a  high-minded  and  distinguished  man;  he  was  a  pro- 
moter of  the  sciences  and  rendered  every  assistance  to  men  of  let- 
ters. Menahem  ben  Aron  ben  Serach,  who  escaj^ed  in  a  wonderful 
manner  from  the  massacre  which  befell  the  Jews  of  Estella,  and  in 
his  flight  found  a  home  with  Abarbanel,  wrote  a  book  in  his  honor, 
which  is  even  unto  this  day  highly  valued.  For  reasons  wdiich  we 
cannot  trace,  Samuel's  son,  D.  Jehuda  Abarbanel,  went  to  Portugal 
and  settled  in  Lisbon.  His  riches  as  well  as  his  talent  soon  brought 
him  into  notice,  and  all  the  nobles  of  the  land  honored  and  esteemed 
him.  Like  his  ancestors  he  soon  used  his  influence  in  behalf  of  his 
co-religionists,  and  his  energy  proved  a  blessing  to  many.  He  be- 
came treasurer  to  D.  Fernando,  brother  of  King  Duarte,  a  fanati- 
cally pious  Infante,  who,  by  his  limited  income,  was  continually 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the  richD.  Jehuda.  Before  he  undertook 
his  camj)aign  against  the  Moors  he,  with  a  presentiment  of  his 
approaching  death,  ordered  a  testamentary  letter  to  be  written,  that 
"the    Jew   Abarbanel,    an    inhabitant   of  Lisbon,"'   should   receive 


236  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

promptly  506,600  Reis  blancos,  which  is  the  sum  he  had  obtained 
from  Abarbanel  as  a  loan. 

This  happened  in  the  year  1437,  and  about  the  same  time  his  son 
Isaac  was  born  in  Lisbon.  His  education  was  carefully  attended  to, 
and  the  Lisbon  Kabbi,  Joseph  Chajun,  exercised  a  Aveighty  influence 
on  the  cultivation  of  his  mind.  While  but  a  yoimg  man,  Abarbanel 
conceived  the  plan  for  his  commentary  to  the  Pentateuch,  and  be- 
gan soon  afterward  with  that  on  Deuteronomy.  Already  in  his  Aleves 
Sikenim,  which  he  himself  styles  his  juvenile  composition,  he  cites  his 
commentary  on  Deuteronomy.  He  was  of  a  precocious  nature,  of  a 
clear,  penetrating  mind,  animated  by  a  rare  love  for  knowledge  and  frdl 
of  zeal  for  Judaism.  Even  in  his  youth  he  became  the  associate  of 
kings  and  nobles,  but  all  this  did  not  prevent  him  from  prosecuting 
his  studies  with  the  utmost  vigor.  The  works  of  Aristotle  and  those 
in  Arabic  of  Ibn  Eoshd,  Ibn  Sinai,  Algasali,  and  others  he  studied 
thoroughly;  and  also  with  Maimuni's  3Iore,  Jehuda  Halevi's  Cusari 
and  Levi  hew  Gerson's  (Gersonide's)  philosophy,  he  soon  became  ac- 
quainted, of  which  he  gathered  certain  portions,  compiled  them  into 
a  comprehensive  pamphlet,  and  thus  his  first  production,  "  The 
Original  Form  of  Elements,"  which  may  easily  be  called  his  own 
dissertation,  was  presented  to  the  public.  Soon  after  a  second  one, 
much  larger  and  by  far  more  important,  followed  under  the  title, 
"  Crown  of  the  Ancient "( Ateres  Sikenim),  and  its  twenty-five  chapters 
treat  ujDon  the  chief  points  of  faith,  the  special  providence  of  God 
toward  Israel  and  prophecy,  etc .,  all  in  a  very  clear  and  pleasing  man- 
ner. About  the  same  time  he  also  published  his  llachst  Shadaj,  in 
which  he  principally  discusses  proj^hetic  subjects,  but  it  has  been  lost 
to  us,  and  we  only  find  it  quoted  in  his  commentary  on  Joshua. 

But  far  greater  renown  he  obtained  on  account  of  his  political 
usefulness  than  through  the  short  philosophical  writings  hitherto 
jDubHshed,  which  after  all  were  merely  his  juvenile  productions;  and 
while  engaged  in  writing  the  "  Crown  of  the  Ancient,"  he  could 
ah'eady  boast  "  that  under  God's  blessing  he  is  possessed  more  than 
any  one  before  him  of  riches,  wisdom  and  greatness,  male  and  female 
servants,  who  eat  his  bread  and  clothe  themselves  from  his  wool  and 
linen."  Alphonso  knew  how  to  appreciate  the  political  talent  of 
Abarbanel,  and,  therefore,  he  did  his  utmost  to  keep  this  rich,  ami- 
able, and  gifted  Jew  at  court,  especially  as  on  account  of  his  enor- 
mous warlike  undertakings  such  a  man  was  of  great  importance  to 
him.  In  fact,  Abarbanel  soon  became  the  favorite  of  every  one  at 
court.  With  aU  the  members  of  the  house  of  Braganza  he  was  on 
intimate  terms;  princes  and  nobles  were  the  daily  visitors  at  his 
palatial  mansion ;  all  the  learned  men  of  Lisbon  sought  his  acquaint- 
ance, among  whom  was  the  well-known  Dr.  Sezira,  who  unremit- 
ingly  labored  in  behalf  of  the  Jews. 

Thus  Abarbanel  passed  his  time  cheerfully  and  happily,  as  he 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  23T 

himself  relates  in  the  preface  to  his  commentary  on  Joshua:  "Con- 
tented I  sat  in  my  native  country,  in  a  j^atrimony  rich  in  posses- 
sions, in  a  house  filled  with  the  blessings  of  God,  and  surrounded  by 
riches,  honor  and  friends.  I  built  for  myself  houses  and  beautiful 
balconies;  my  house  was  the  meeting-place  of  all  men  of  learning, 
and  from  here  we  diffused  knowledge  and  the  fear  of  God.  I  was 
liked  in  the  palace  of  the  King  D.  Alphonso,  this  mighty  and 
far-ruling  king,  who  reigned  over  two  seas,  and  was  fortunate  in 
all  his  enterprises;  the  king  who  sat  upon  a  throne  of  jiistice,  exer- 
cising all  over  the  country  ri^ht  and  righteousness,  who  trusted  in 
God,  avoided  evil  and  always  sought  the  welfare  of  his  people,  and 
under  whose  government  the  Jews  also  enjoyed  fi-eedom,  peace  and 
safet3\  I  loved  to  dwell  under  his  shadow,  I  felt  attracted  to  him, 
while  he  considered  me  his  support,  and  as  long  as  he  lived  1  went 
in  and  out  of  the  palace  as  if  it  were  my  own  home."  Yet  in  spite 
of  his  fortune  and  the  high  position  which  he  occupied  he  never 
forgot  his  co-religionists  for  a  single  moment;  he  was  to  them,  as 
his  poetic  son  Jehudah  Leon  of  him  says,  "  shield  and  ramjiart,"  for 
he  saved  the  sufferer  from  the  power  of  his  adversary,  healed  his 
wounds,  and  kept  off  the  ferocious  lion.  When  King  Alphonso  con- 
quered the  seaport  Arzilla,  in  Africa,  250  Jews  of  different  ages 
and  sex  were  exiled,  and  most  of  them  sold  for  slaves  all  over  the 
country.  Such  proceedings  the  compassionate  Abarbanel  could  not 
look  upon  with  indifference;  he  at  once  formed  a  committee  of 
twelve  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  Jewish  congregation  in 
Lisbon,  placed  the  case  before  them,  proposing  that  without  delay 
these  unfortunate  brethren  should  be  freed  fi-om  their  captivity.  In 
a  very  short  time  he  had  raised  10,000  gold  doubloons,  and  220  of  the 
slaves  received  their  fi-eedom.  They  were  all  clothed  and  supported 
until  they  had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  language,  and  then 
situations  were  prociu'ed  for  some  of  them,  while  the  others  were 
enabled  to  find  a  livelihood  for  themselves. 

But  the  fortune  and  peace  which  Abarbanel,  with  his  excellent  wife 
and  three  hopeful  sons,  enjoyed,  were  suddenly  interriipted  by  the 
change  of  the  regency  in  Portugal.  The  good  King  Alphonso  died  in 
August,  1841.  His  son,  loao  II.,  became  his  successor,  who  was  a 
morose,  heai-tless,  selfish  man,  and  aimed  at  establishing  an  absolute 
government.  The  Duke  of  Braganza,  the  richest  and  most  agreeable 
man  of  the  country,  and  also  a  relative  of  his,  was  the  first  who  fell 
a  victim  to  his  treachery.  The  Duke's  brothers  and  many  of  the 
nobles  sought  refuge  in  foreign  lands,  while  their  rich  possessions 
fell  to  the  Crown.  The  victims  being  all  intimate  friends  of  Abar- 
banel, his  tui'n  soon  came,  for  loao  charged  him  with  being  in  league 
with  them.  "Also  against  me,"  relates  Abarbanel,  whose  hands  and 
mouth  were  without  wrong  or  deceit,  "he  vented  his  rage  because 
I  had  lived  with  these  persecvited  nobles  on  terms  of  tender  fi-iend- 


338  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

ship.  In  the  midst  of  these  complications  I  received  the  unlucky 
menage  to  appear  before  the  king  without  delay.  I  obeyed  the 
command,  and  started  at  once,  without  having  any  presentiment  that 
evil  was  in  store  for  me.  But  on  my  way  a  man  came  to  me  and 
said:  'No  further!  Save  thy  life;  bad  rej)orts  are  in  circulation, 
fear  prevails  everywhere,  and  against  you  several  have  formed  a  con- 
spiracy.' This  friendly  advice  I  took  to  heart,  and  resolved  to 
leave  my  hereditary  portion,  the  wife  whom  the  Lord  aj)2Dointed 
unto  me,  my  children,  whom  the  Lord  bestowed  on  me,  and  all 
that  belonged  to  me.  I  sought  safety  in  flight.  In  the  night  I 
went  away,  and  as  my  misfortune  had  come  upon  me  as  suddenly  as 
a  storm  scatters  chaff,  I  could  save  nothing  of  all  my  possessions 
except  my  Hfe.  The  next  morning  the  news  of  my  flight  was  ah-eady 
known  at  Pharao,  loao's  palace,  and  upon  the  king's  orders  a  number 
of  horse  soldiers  were  immediately  disj^atched  in  all  directions,  in 
order  to  trace  me  and  to  slay  me  at  once  should  they  overtake  me. 
God's  mercy  did  not  permit  any  evil  to  befall  me.  At  midnight  I 
dej)ai-ted  from  Egypt,  the  kingdom  of  Portusfal,  and  entered  Castilian 
territory,  namely,  the  border  town  of  Segura  deUa  Orden.  When 
the  king  saw  that  he  could  not  rob  me  of  my  life,  that  I  had  gone 
the  way  which  God  pointed  unto  me,  then  his  rage  knew  no  bounds, 
and  he  treated  me  as  his  enemy;  he  put  his  hand  on  all  my  wealth 
and  possessions  and  left  me  nothing  at  all.     (October,  1483.) 

II. 

The  impoverished  Abarbanel  now  began  to  reproach  himself  that 
he  as  a  statesman,  and  under  the  fortunate  circumstances  he  had 
been  placed  in,  had  entirely  neglected  the  study  of  the  law.  Being 
free  now  from  public  life  he  praised  the  Almighty  for  His  mercy, 
and  with  his  wife  and  two  of  his  sons— the  third  remaining  in  Por- 
tugal— once  more  united,  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  services  of  the 
Lord.  He  then  commenced  carrying  out  his  former  intention 
of  supplying  the  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament  with  a 
cojoious  commentary.  To  a  large  circle  of  men,  all  full  of  zeal  and 
desirous  of  knowledge,  he  delivered  his  explanations  verbally,  and 
afterward  wrote  them  down  in  a  surprisingly  short  time.  Li  six- 
teen days  (from  the  10th  to  the  26th  of  Marcheshvan,  Nov.,  1483), 
the  commentary  on  Joshua;  in  twenty-five  days  (from  the  1st  till 
the  15th  of  Kislev,  Dec,  1483),  the  one  on  the  book  of  Judges,  and 
in  three  and  a  half  months  (from  the  1st  of  Tebeth  until  the  13th 
of  Adar  II.,  Jan.  till  April,  1484),  the  commentsiry  on  both  books  of 
Samuel  were  finished.  For  these  exegetical  productions  Abarbanel 
was  well  prepared;  he  so  masterly  solved  his  task  that  his  great 
merits,  even  to  the  present  day,  are  readily  acknoM-ledged  and  highly 
valued  by  both  Jews  and  Christians.  But  seldom  have  the  writings 
of  a  Jewish  scholar  of  the  Middle  Ages  received  so  large  a  circulation, 
even  among  Christians,   as  have   those   of   Don  Isaac   Abarbanel. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  JSRAELITES.  239 

More  than  thirty  Christian  theologians,  among  whom  we  find  such 
men  as  Alting,  Buddeus,  Constantin  L'Empereur,  Hulsins,  Carpzov, 
Sureuhus,  and  especially  Buxtorf,  were  continually  occupied  with 
his  writings,  translating  some  parts  of  his  commentaries,  and 
furnishing  extracts  from  almost  all  his  works. 

Abarbanel  was  a  man  free  fi'om  prejudice,  by  far  more  so  than  any 
of  his  contemporaries  and  successors.  More  than  six  months,  how- 
ever, were  not  granted  unto  him  for  carrying  on  at  his  leisure  his 
studies  and  literary  pursuits,  for  he  was  persuaded  to  accept  public 
office  once  more.  He  was  just  on  the  point  of  commencing  his  com- 
mentary on  the  book  of  Kings,  when  he  was  appointed  by  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  to  the  office  of  a  Royal  Commissioner  of  Taxes.  He 
was  again  fortunate  and  accumulated  great  wealth,  besides  gaining 
the  affection  of  the  royal  couple,  as  well  as  of  all  the  grandees  of 
the  state.  Eight  years  he  was  in  the  Castilian  service,  and  so  far  as 
his  official  duties  allowed  him,  he  never  neglected  his  studies,  or  his 
co-religionists,  or  his  duty  toward  his  Creator.  But  he  was  fiUed 
with  fear  for  the  future,  with  apprehension  for  his  brethren. 

Like  a  flash  of  lightning  from  a  clear  sky,  the  edict  of  the  31st  of 
March,  1492,  came  upon  the  Jews,  that  all  of  them  should  with  their 
wives,  sons,  and  daughters,  male  and  female  servants,  of  every  age,  sta- 
tion and  sex,  emigrate  within  five  months,  otherwise  they  should  for- 
feit their  lives.  Don  Isaac  Abarbanel,  an  account  of  his  position  at 
court,  was  one  of  the  first  who  received  the  evil,  inhuman,  and  sad 
news.  He  took  courage,  went  to  the  king,  beseeching  him  to  act  in  a 
humane  manner  with  the  poor  .Jews,  and  to  recall  the  harsh  decree. 
"Impose  rather  upon  us,"  he  implored,  "that  we  should  bestow  con- 
tributions and  gifts,  and  whatever  any  one  of  the  house  of  Israel  is 
possessed  of,  he  will  surely  and  readily  give  for  the  sake  of  his  coun- 
try." Abarbanel  went  to  his  numerous  Chiistian  friends,  who  were 
favorites  at  coui-t,  and  they  all  interceded  for  the  Jews  with  the 
royal  couple,  and  tried  their  utmost  to  persuade  them  to  annul  their 
wi-athful  orders.  But,  like  a  deaf  adder,  they  closed  their  ears 
against  all  supplications,  and  listened  to  none.  The  queen,  esj)e- 
cially,  was  inflexible,  being  the  tool  of  her  audacious  confessor,  Tor- 
quemada,  who  said  to  her:  "Judas  Iscariot  was  the  first  who  sold 
the  Lord  for  tliirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  your  highness  wishes  now  to 
be  the  second  in  disposing  of  him  for  thirty  thousand  ducats." 

As  soon  as  the  news  became  known  to  all  the  Israelites  of  the  land, 
great  lamentations  were  heard  everywhere,  such  as  never  had  been 
known  since  Judah  was  exiled  from  his  country;  and  one  said  to  the 
other:  "Let  us  find  support  and  strength  in  our  faith  and  in  the 
holy  law  of  our  God,  which  will  surely  save  us  from  the  voice  of  the 
slanderer,  and  protect  us  against  the  raging  of  the  enemy.  If  they 
let  us  live,  then  we  live;  and  if  they  slay  us,  then  we  jDerish;  let  us 
not  disgrace  our  covenant,  and  depart  from  it  in  our  heart,  but  con- 
tinue in  the  path  of  the  Lord  our  God  !"     Like  heroes  they  all  clung 


240  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

to  their  faith  when  the  day  of  departure  was  approaching,  and,  in 
spite  of  their  pitiful  and  desperate  situation,  only  a  few  were  enticed, 
by  despicable  ambition  after  money  and  honor,  to  forsake  their  re- 
ligion. How  great  Abarbanel  appeared  compared  with  such  men  who, 
for  the  most  part,  all  belonged  to  the  upper  classes  !  Already  before 
the  respite  granted  had  expired  he  left  the  country,  against  which — 
could  it  be  otherwise  ?  he  nourished  in  his  heart  a  deep  resentment, 
and,  taking  sail  together  with  his  wife  and  children,  and  the  frag- 
ments of  his  wealth,  he  soon  reached  Naples  in  safety.  Here  he  took 
up  again  his  commentary  on  the  book  of  Kings,  which  he  left  unfin- 
ished while  in  Castile,  and,  in  September,  1493  (the  last  day  of  the 
year  5253),  brought  the  same  to  a  close.  Ferdinand,  King  of  Naples, 
was  soon  informed  of  the  presence  of  the  exiled  Spanish  statesman, 
even  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  themselves,  who  told  the  Neapolitan 
king  that  many  rich  Spanish  Jews  had  taken  refuge  in  his  country, 
and  demanded  of  him,  in  a  peremptory  manner,  not  to  spare  them, 
but  to  have  them  sentenced  to  death,  and  to  deliver  their  possessions 
to  the  Spanish  ti-easury.  Without,  however, heeding  in  the  leastthe 
threats  of  the  Spanish  riders,  King  Ferdinand  did  not  hesitate  to 
persuade  the  experienced  Jewish  statesman  to  enter  his  service.  As 
long  as  this  humane  monarch  lived,  Abarbanel  enjoyed  days  of  happi- 
ness, for  he  soon  earned  again  wealth  and  renown,  lived  in  quietness 
and  peace,  and  had  joy  and  superfluities  in  all  things.  But  also  here 
it  was  not  granted  him  to  enjoy  rest  for  any  length  of  time.  The 
following  year,  Charles  VIII. ,  of  France,  declared  war  against  Naples. 
Alphonso  II.,  successor  of  the  noble  Ferdinand,  was  obliged  to  fly 
from  the  country,  and  Abarbanel  accompanied  him  to  Sicily,  remain- 
ing with  him  till  his  death  (1495).  Deprived  of  his  property,  and 
even  of  his  valuable  library,  the  much  tried  Abarbanel  began  to  ex- 
perience "need  instead  of  plenty,  and  his  joys  were  turned  into 
days  of  mourning;"  feeling,  however,  grateful  to  God  that,  after  a 
troublesome  journey,  he  could  at  length  settle  in  Corfu,  one  of  the 
Ionian  islands.  A  feeling  of  awe  and  pity  overcomes  one  who  puts 
himself  in  the  sad  position  of  Abarbanel,  nearly  sixty  years  old,  sep- 
arated from  wife  and  children,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  country,  with 
a  shattered  constitution,  without  means  or  help !  Thus  placed, 
he  sought  for  consolation  in  his  studies,  and  found  peace  in  the 
consoling  and  animating  prophecies  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  on  which 
he,  in  July,  1495,  began  his  commentary.  A  peculiar  circumstance, 
however,  induced  him  to  lay  aside  the  work  just  begun,  for,  singu- 
larly enough,  he  found  here,  to  his  great  joy,  his  commentary  on 
Deuteronomy,  a  work  he  had  already  commenced  in  his  youth,  and 
which  he  had  given  up  for  lost.  Therefore,  he  now  continued  the 
same  with  the  utmost  zeal,  and,  in  Rlonopoli  (in  the  kingdom  of 
Naples),  to  which  he  soon  removed,  he  completed  his  Deuteronomy 
in  January,  1496.  And  now  his  great  literary  activity  began  to  develop 
itself,  for   most  of  his   works   appeared   in  Monopoli.     About   two 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  241 

months  after,  his  commentary  on  the  Pesach-Hagada  was  comj^leted, 
and,  in  July,  the  same  year,  for  his  youngest  son,  Samuel,  now 
twenty-three  years  old,  his  commentary  treatise  on  Aboth,  and,  in 
December,  1496,  the  commentary  on  Daniel.  Then  some  other 
writings  followed,  being  explanations  of  particular  chapters  only, 
also  a  commentary  on  More,  April,  1498,  as  well  as  one  on  j)rophecy 
and  redemption;  January,  1498,  on  articles  of  faith,  or  resurrection, 
recompense,  punishments  and  on  the  creation.  His  commentary  on 
Isaiah,  August,  1498,  was  also  completed  at  Monopoli.  Some  of  these 
were  published  at  Venice,  Constantinople,  Amsterdam,  Salonichi,  and 
other  places,  while  others  were  in  MSS.,  and  were  not  printed  until 
many  years  after. 

Abarbanel  remained  in  this  place  until  the  latter  end  of  1502, 
when  he,  in  compliance  with  a  request  of  his  second  son,  Joseph 
(born  in  Lisbon,  1471),  who  was  then  a  physician,  and  a  man 
of  great  renown  at  Venice,  removed  to  that  place.  In  this  rich  town 
of  the  Doges,  the  venerable  old  man  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  event- 
fu.1  life  in  peace  and  happiness.  He  was  once  more  drawn  into  j)oU- 
tics,  for  all  statesmen  felt  glad  of  his  counsel;  and,  therefore,  he  was 
chosen  as  mediator  between  the  repubhc  and  Portugal,  in  order  to 
bring  about  an  honorable  peace  between  the  two  countries.  Here 
he  also  had  the  fortune  of  becoming  once  more  united  with  his  eldest 
son,  Jehudah,  whom  the  father  considered  the  greatest  philosopher 
of  his  time.  He  completed  also  before  his  death  the  commentary 
on  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  the  twelve  minor  prophets,  as  well  as 
a  commentary  on  the  first  four  books  of  Moses,  besides  several  re- 
visions. These  comprehensive  commentaries  became  favorite  works 
among  his  co-religionists.  They  liked  these  productions,  on  account 
of  the  system  Abarbanel  adopted  in  arranging  them.  Every  book 
had  a  special  introduction,  and  each  section  or  chapter  was  headed 
by  a  certain  number  of  questions.  His  easy  and  simple  presentation 
of  truth,  his  fresh  and  piquant  style,  his  vast  know4edge  from  other 
sources,  and  the  peculiar  bent  of  his  mind — it  was  this  which  made 
him  popular. 

He  died  at  Venice  in  the  year  1509,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  aU 
the  eminent  men  of  that  place  followed  his  remains  to  Padua,  where 
he  was  buried  next  to  the  renowned  Rabbi  Jehudah  Minz.  But  the 
whim  of  fate  pursued  him  even  beyond  the  limit  of  his  mortal  ex- 
istence, for  his  resting-place  was  destroyed  after  the  laj)S8  of  a  few 
weeks,  the  whole  country  being  in  commotion  on  account  of  war, 
which  was  everywhere  raging.  Ph.  Philippson. 

Dr.  Phcebe  Philippson,  brother  of  Dr.  Ludwig  Philippson,  residing  at  Madgeburg,  repu- 
ted as  pedagogue  and  philologer. 


EXEGETICAL — Explanatory. 
Pbecocious — Ripe  before  the  time. 
Dissertation  -A  discourse. 
NocHBi  (Hebrew)  — A  stranger. 
Reiss  —  APortuguese  coin. 

PAHT  II. — 16. 


MSS. — Manuscript. 
Doge — The  title  of  the  chiei   magistrate   of 
Venice  and  Genoa. 
Whim — A  freak;  a  caprice. 


242  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

THE  SONG  OF  THE  WELL. 
Numbers  xxi  :  17. 


As  they  wandered  in  distress, 
Through  the  weary  wilderness, 
To  our  fathers  came  a  voice, 
Which  bade  their  anxious  souls  rejoice. 
And  treasure  thro'  the  centuries 
The  song  that  from  the  well  did  rise. 


And  as  we  wander  in  distress. 

Through  another  wilderness, 

0  wayside  well,  O  joyous  song, 

Thy  gladsome  notes  in  ns  prolong. 

That  in  my  bubbling  waters  pure 

The  strains  of  faith  which  shall  endm-e- 

May  thrill  the  modern  Jewish  heart, 

It  was  the  fountain  of  our  sires  1  And  to  his  deeds  a  glow  impart. 

Before  they  turned  to  foreign  fires;  J.  M. 


PORTUGUESE  DISCOVERY  AND  THE  JEWS. 

[1492  A.] 
L 
loAO  I.,  Henry  the  Navigator,  Alphonso  the  African,  loao  de 
Menezes,  Azambnja,  Vasco  de  Gama,  Columbus,  Albuquerque, 
Cabral,  Cortez,  Pizarro — what  names  of  clever  and  valiant  menT 
What  histories  and  achievements  belong  to  these  adventvirers  and 
conquerors !  With  w^hat  charm  and  rapture  do  not  both  young  and 
old  listen  to  the  narratives  of  their  discoveries,  their  battles  by  sea 
and  land !  No  people  on  European  soil  were  more  animated  with 
a  spirit  of  enterprise  than  the  Portuguese.  Should,  then,  these 
heroic  names,  the  discoveries  of  which  caused  thst  small,  narrow 
strip  of  land  of  Portugal  to  become  a  great  power,  have  no  reference 
to  Jews?  No  one  has  ever  had  anj^  doubt  about  it,  and  yet  no  one 
has  at  any  time  thought  proper  to  bring  these  seemingly  widely 
remote  facts  in  connection  with  the  Jews  and  their  history. 

loao  I.  began  with  the  discoveries  in  Africa  and  its  partial  con- 
quest; Ceuta,  that  immense  city,  the  chief  fortified  and  most  beau- 
tiful populated  town  of  Mauritania,  was  occupied;  and  the  Portuguese 
Infantes,  longing  after  heroic  deeds,  had  thus  reached  their  goal,  to 
attain  which  had  been  their  earnest  desire  for  many  years.  Ceuta 
was  the  key  to  all  the  countries  of  Islam,  the  terror  of  the  Moham- 
medans, and  the  central  point  for  further  conquest  along  the  African 
coast.  At  the  storming  of  that  place,  many  Jews  belonging  to  the 
Portuguese  Armada  were  present,  and  one  of  them  lost  his  life  on 
the  occasion. 

After  the  occupation  of  Ceuta,  the  Lusitanian  discoverers  com- 
menced their  first  distant  voyages,  being  led  by  an  extraordinary 
man,  the  Infante  Henry,  called  the  Navigator,  who  was  the  third  son 
of  loao  I.  With  the  zeal  of  a  lover,  he  lifted  the  veil  of  the  coast  of 
an  unwieldy  continent,  and  Jews,  with  their  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience, rendered  him  many  services  in  his  enterprise.  Through 
Jews  engaged  in  commerce,  who  had  traveled  through  the  unknown 
regions,  he  received  the  first  news,  which  confirmed  his  supposition 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  243 

that  a  road  from  Europe  to  India  could  be  found;  and  every  Jewish 
traveler  from  a  distant  country  received  from  this  afi'able  prince, 
when  he  resided  in  after  days  at  his  observatory,  a  kind  and  hearty 
reception. 

loao  II.  also  took  much  interest  in  the  discoveries  along  the 
western  coast  of  Africa.  With  the  head-money,  which  Jewish  emi- 
grants driven  fi'om  Spain  and  settling  in  his  country  had  to  pay,  he 
intended  to  carry  on  the  campaign  so  gloriously  begun  by  his 
ancestors.  He,  however,  undertook  nothing;  but,  being  avaricious 
and  fond  of  gold,  he  seized  upon  the  work  of  discovery  with  the 
utmost  zeal,  in  order  to  outdo  his  great  successor.  He  ere  ployed 
many  Jews  to  make  all  possible  inquiries  by  land,  feeling  convinced 
that,  by  their  close  observation  and  penetrating  mind,  he  would  find 
means  to  venture  with  more  safety  upon  the  pathless  element,  and 
thus  enable  him  under  an  unknown  sky  to  steer  toward  the  obscure 
but  much  desired  object  of  all  his  wishes.  In  order  to  avoid  the 
danger  of  deviating  from  the  right  course  upon  an  unknown  sea  far 
away  from  the  coast,  loao  ordered  the  most  eminent  mathematicians 
of  his  realm  to  find  out  some  means  to  show  clearly  the  direction  to 
be  retained,  and  if  possible  also  the  proxim.ity  of  coasting  land 
already  known,  besides  pointing  out  the  whereabouts  of  the  position 
as  near  as  could  be  calculated  upon.  The  celebrated  knight,  Martin 
Behaim,  a  navigator  belonging  to  Nurnberg,  was  chosen  for  this 
important  business,  and  he  consulted  a  Rabbi,  Abraham  Estrohco 
(the  astrologer),  renowned  for  his  mathematical  knowledge,  and 
Josej)h  and  Eoderigo,  the  two  Jewish  physicians  in  ordinary  to  King 
loao,  who  were  also  employed  by  the  navigator  Pedro  de  Carilhao 
for  manufacturing  a  globe,  and  became  afterward  men  of  great 
renown  in  the  history  of  Portuguese  discoveries. 

About  this  time  a  Geonese  apjDeared  before  King  loao,  making 
him  the  offer  to  take  a  fleet  across  the  ocean  to  those  lands  whose 
riches  and  high  civihzation  were  so  temptingly  depicted  by  Marco 
Polo.  This  Geonese  was  Columbus.  The  king  placed  the  proposal 
before  the  nautical  authorities,  who,  as  already  mentioned,  were 
just  assembled,  consulting  upon  the  best  means  for  stalling  upon 
fresh  enterprises.  The  Jewish  members,  Josejoh  and  Rodeiigo, 
considered  Columbus'  demand  foolish,  believing  that  the  whole  of 
his  statements  rested  on  the  mere  whim  of  Marco  Polo  concerning 
the  Isle  of  Tipango.  D.  Pedro  de  Menezes,  the  old  Count  of  Villa- 
Real,  sided  with  the  advice  of  the  physicians,  prevailing  upon  the 
king  not  to  listen  to  the  dreams  of  Columbus,  and  thus  the  king 
dismissed  him.  Spain,  the  neighboring  country,  was  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  his  discoveries.  On  August  3,  1492,  a  day  after  the  royal 
decree  was  issued  ordering  all  Jews  to  leave  Spain,  Columbus  set 
sail  from  Palos  to  discover  a  new  world.  Among  the  ninety  adven- 
tui'ers  who  accompanied  him  in  his  perilous  enterprise,  there  was 


244  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

also  a  young  man  of  Jewisli  persuasion,  Luis  de  Torres,  who,  in  the 
town  of  Murcia,  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  Hebrew,  Chaldaic  and 
Arabic,  and  he  it  was  whom  the  great  navigator,  on  November  1, 
1492,  before  leaving  Prio  de  Mares,  sent  into  the  interior  in  order  to 
obtain  further  information,  and  especially  in  regard  to  the  "  mother- 
plants  "  of  spices  supposed  to  abound  in  that  region. 

While  Columbus  occupied  America  in  behalf  of  Spain,  Portugal 
fixed  its  attention  upon  India,  which  was  yet  unknown.  In  order  to 
obtain  some  information  about  this  secret  realm  of  the  royal  priest 
Johannes,  loao  II.  sent  the  knight  Pedro  de  Cavilhao  to  Jerusalem. 
1  he  knight  visited  Goa,  Calcutta,  and  other  large  cities  in  India, 
even  as  far  as  Sofala,  and  was  on  the  point  of  returning  to  Portugal 
without  having  succeeded  in  his  object,  when  he  met  in  Cairo  two 
Jews  from  his  native  country.  The  one  was  Joseph  from  Lam  ego, 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  the  other  Rabbi  Abraham  from  Bija. 
They  brought  the  knight  letters  from  the  King  of  Portugal.  Joseph, 
who  had  formerly  been  in  Bagdad,  and  there  had  heard  about 
Ormuz,  the  celebrated  market  for  spices  and  other  riches  possessed 
by  India,  on  his  return  told  aU  he  knew  of  it  to  the  monarch,  who 
then  ordered  him  in  company  with  the  Eabbi  Abraham  to  go  in  search 
of  the  knight.  Pedro  was  to  send  by  him  alone  aU  the  information 
he  had  gathered,  while  Pedro  himself  and  Rabbi  Abraham  were  to 
depart  for  Ormuz,  in  order  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  India.  The 
knight  obeyed  loao's  commands,  and  went  with  Rabbi  Abraham  to 
Ormuz,  while  Joseph  joined  a  caravan  bound  for  AlejDpo,  and  from 
thence  returned  to  Portugal. 

The  plan  loao  formed  respecting  India,  his  successor.  King  M  anuel, 
who  was  considered  the  blessing  of  his  realm,  embraced  with  much 
zeal.  He  sent  a  fleet  xinder  the  command  of  the  well-known  navi- 
gator, Vasco  de  Gama,  to  discover  a  passage  to  India.  It  was  then 
for  the  first  time  that  the  Portuguese  fiag  was  seen  on  India's  shores, 
and  he  landed  on  the  coast  of  Malabar,  remaining  for  some  time 
in  Calcutta.  He  left  the  town,  and  on  the  heights  of  Andjediva  he 
had  to  defend  himself  against  a  sudden  attack  of  pirates,  when 
unexpectedly  an  European  made  his  appearance,  who  accosted  them 
in  Italian,  which  he  spoke  with  fluency.  This  white  man  was  a  Jew 
from  Poland.  Some  years  before  he  had  been  sent  as  a  slave  to 
India,  and  was  enlisted  now  in  the  service  of  the  Governor  of  Goa. 
As  soon  as  the  Jew  perceived  the  variegated  colors  of  the  Poi-tuguese 
fiag,  he  started  to  inform  his  master  that  a  nation  was  apiDroaching 
the  shore  "  who  dwells  at  the  utmost  end  of  the  Christian  countries, 
xjalling  themselves  Portuguese,  and  are  desei-ving  of  esteem  and 
honor  on  account  of  their  bravery."  He  was  ordered  to  go  and 
meet  them,  and  in  the  name  of  the  prince  to  offer  them  the  hand  of 
peace  and  fi'iendship.  He  entered  a  boat  and  was  soon  close  to  the 
Portuguese  fleet,  when  he  called  aloud  to  the  steersman  that  he 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  345 

desired  to  speak  with  the  admiral.  Gama  heard  it,  and  pretending- 
friendshij)  he  enticed  him  to  come  to  him.  But  scarcely  had  he  put 
his  foot  on  board  when  Gama,  recognizing  him  as  a  Jew,  immediately 
made  vise  of  the  rack,  and  torturing  him  so  long  that  the  poor  Jew 
was  forced  to  accomj^any  him  upon  his  voyage.  He  implored  Gama 
to  behave  with  clemency  toward  him,  and  with  tears  he  briefly 
related  the  history  of  his  eventful  life.  Vasco  de  Gama,  not  satisfied 
yet,  was  determined  that  he  should  be  baptized,  and  gave  him  the 
name  of  Gaspar  de  Gama.  He  returned  with  him  to  Eurojje,  and 
as  a  skillful  pilot  he  rendered  for  many  years  valuable  services  to  aU 
the  Portuguese  fleets. 


II. 

The  important  services  which  Jews  rendered  in  all  these  dis- 
coveries were  also  much  enhanced  both  by  their  fitness  as  interpret- 
ers, and  their  scientific  knowledge  of  languages,  a  fact  which  proved 
of  the  greatest  importance  to  many  an  admiral.  Thus  the  great 
AKonso  de  Albuquerque,  who  completed  in  India  what  Vasco  de 
Gama  begun,  experienced  many  favors  from  Jews,  which  no  one  else 
in  his  camp  could  have  rendei-ed  him.  One  day  the  royal  priest 
Johannes  sent  him  a  letter  written  in  the  Chaldaic  language,  and,  to 
the  great  joy  of  Albuquerque,  he  found  in  Cairo  an  exiled  Jew  fi'om 
Portugal  who  understood  several  languages,  and  at  once  translated 
the  royal  epistle  into  Portuguese.  He  afterward  found  in  Calcutta 
two  engraved  tablets  of  very  ancient  date,  which  no  one  was  able  to 
decipher;  but  on  hearing  of  a  Jew  who  was  noted  for  his  learning, 
he  went  to  him,  and,  producing  the  tablets,  it  did  not  take  long 
before  the  Jew  informed  him  that  they  were  written  in  the  Chaldaic, 
Malabar  and  Arabic  languages,  which  he  readily  translated  into 
Portuguese.  On  his  voyage  to  Goa  the  admiral  fell  in  with  a  Spanish 
Jew  residing  at  Cairo,  who  petitioned  him  in  behalf  of  five  Portu- 
guese prisoners  kept  at  Aden;  and,  when  at  Beja,  another  Jew  came 
to  him  uj)on  the  same  errand,  advising  him  besides  to  seize  Aden. 
We  now  enter  with  the  cunning  Azambuja  upon  Muri'itanian  terri- 
tory, and  in  following  him  on  his  expedition  we  begin  at  first  with 
the  ancient  coasting  town  of  Safi.  This  old  town,  according  to  Ara- 
bian authors,  founded  in  hoary  times  of  yore,  had,  at  the  time  when 
Azambuja  entered  it,  more  than  four  thousand  houses,  four  hundred 
of  which  were  inhabited  by  Jews.  These  contributed  much  toward 
the  prosperity  of  the  place,  and  by  their  enterprise  Safi  had  become 
an  important  jDlace  of  business.  To  the  Portuguese  it  was  a  matter 
of  great  consequence  to  obtain  possession  of  the  j)lace,  and  only  by 
the  assistance  the  Jews  rendered  them  did  they  at  length  succeed  in 
accomplishing  their  object.  Azambuja  entered  the  town  with  but  a 
few  followers,  and  a  Jew  (Eabbi  Abraham)  served  him  as  interpre- 
ter, to  whom  he  was  also  indebted  for  his  life,  as  a  conspiracy  arose. 


246  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  HEADER 

which  was  betrayed  to  the  Rabbi.  Being  thus  in  danger  of  his  life, 
he  thought  best  to  leave  the  place  for  a  time,  and  he  returned  to 
Castello  Real.  But  on  August  6th,  1507,  he  re-entered  Safi,  accord- 
ing to  instructions  received  from  his  monarch,  who  ordered  Garcia 
de  Melo  to  join  him  and  to  aid  him  in  his  task.  They  made  good 
use  of  the  dissensions  then  existing  between  the  different  members 
of  the  Moorish  family,  in  regard  to  the  regency,  and  the  cunning 
Azambuja  adopted  the  plan  of  increasing  the  mistrust  between  the 
two  contending  parties,  and  brought  the  town  under  Portuguese 
subjection  in  the  following  manner:  The  associate  of  Azambuja 
(Garcia  de  Melo)  was  dangerously  ill,  and  a  Jewish  physician  from 
Safi  attended  him,  who  was  also  acquainted  with  the  two  Moorish 
jjarties.  The  Portuguese  admii'al  succeeded  in  gaining  over  the 
doctor  to  his  ]5lan,  and  persuaded  him  to  carry  letters  to  these  two 
leaders,  in  such  a  way  that  one  should  not  become  aware  of  the 
other's  communication  thus  sent  to  him.  Both  were  informed  of  the 
impending  danger  which  their  opponents  had  in  store  for  them,  and 
to  each  of  the  leaders  the  assurance  was  given  that  if  he  would  only 
place  confidence  in  the  Portuguese,  and  make  common  cause  with 
them,  he  would  become  co-regent  together  with  the  governor 
appointed  by  King  Manuel.  No  one  but  these  few  persons  were 
acquainted  with  the  strategy,  and  the  Portuguese  at  length  suc- 
ceeded, each  leader  entering  into  the  snare,  in  occupying  Safi.  It 
is  very  rare  to  find  Jews,  always  and  everywhere  the  most  faithful 
subjects,  siding  with  the  enemy.  The  Jewish  physician,  however, 
had  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-citizens  and  of  his  brethren  at  heart. 
He  wished  to  see  the  town  freed  from  tyrants,  in  the  hope  that  under 
Portuguese  rule  the  inhabitants  woidd  get  rid  of  the  yoke  which 
heavily  pressed  upon  them. 

When  Nuno  Fernandez  d'Atayde  was  governor  of  Safi,  the  town 
was  once  unexpectedly  surrounded  by  100,000  men,  and  he  found 
himself  in  the  greatest  danger.  Two  Jews  from  Azamor  heard  of  it, 
and  resolved  to  assist  their  fiiendly-disposed  countryman.  Isaac 
Benemero.  and  a  certain  Israel,  furnished  at  their  own  cost  two 
vessels  with  co-religionists,  and  sailed  without  delay  for  Safi.  In 
the  darkness  they  succeeded  in  effecting  a  landing,  and  were 
received  with  great  joy  by  Atayde,  who  was  indebted  to  them  for 
the  deliverance  of  himself  and  army,  for  a  battle  was  fought  in  which 
he  was  the  victor,  and  the  enemy  retired. 

In  1359  the  Xarife  of  Morocco  appeared  again  before  Safi  with  a 
considerable  force,  and  one  of  the  exiled  Spanish  Jews,  living  then 
in  Fez,  gave  a  surprising  example  of  Jewish  faithfulness  and  bravery. 
Samuel  Valenciano  is  the  name  of  this  Jewish  general,  who  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  Fez  gained  tor  himself  the  love  and  esteem  of  all 
the  inhabitants,  and  especially  of  the  ruler  of  the  jDlace,  who  belonged 
to  the  family  of  the  Marines,  and  was  very  much  attached  to  him . 


FOR  THE  UriE  OF  ISRAELITES.  247 

In  after  days  the  Xarifes  rose  against  the  Marines  and  drove  them 
from  the  country.  The  princes,  thus  dej^rived  of  the  throne,  placed 
themselves  under  Portuguese  protection.  The  noble  Samuel  staked 
his  life  and  property  in  order  to  serve  the  family  which  he  con- 
sidered the  lawful  rulers  of  the  land.  Besides  the  Marines,  the 
Alcaldeans — who  had  remained  true  to  the  former  sovereignty — all 
united  under  Samuel,  who  had  equipped  some  vessels;  and  being 
selected  as  leader,  he  lost  no  time  in  sailing  for  Ceuta.  He  reached 
the  place  in  safety,  and  at  once  landed  his  men,  consisting  of  no  more 
than  four  hundred  all  told,  and  with  these  he  ventured  a  night 
attack  upon  the  enemy's  position,  entirely  defeating  him.  The  oppos- 
ing army  numbered  30,000  warriors,  of  whom  about  5,000  were 
slain  in  the  battle,  while  Samuel  did  not  lose  a  single  man.  Ceuta 
was  delivered,  and  before  the  morning  began  to  dawn  the  Xarife 
retired  upon  Fez.  With  the  same  heroic  bravery  and  extraordinary 
boldness,  he  also  defeated  the  enemy  encamped  before  Safi,  and 
thus  raised  the  siege  of  that  important  town.  The  Jewish  hero  now 
went  to  Azamor,  which  became  his  abode. 

Azamor  is  but  a  few  miles  distant  from  Fez,  and  next  to  Safi  the 
chief  town  of  the  province  Duccala.  Here  King  Manuel  pos=5essed  a 
few  trustworthy  friends,  who,  with  the  assistance  of  Rabbi  Abraham, 
the  head  of  the  Jewish  inhabitants,  were  so  successful  that  the  town 
in  the  year  3512,  with  the  consent  of  the  governor,  submitted  to  the 
King  of  Portugal.  But  Muley  Zeyan,  the  governor,  being  a  great 
tyrant,  soon  violated  the  treaty,  and  thus  King  Manuel  resolved 
(1513)  upon  occupying  the  town.  He  equij:)ped  a  large  fleet,  and 
under  the  command  of  his  nephew,  Duke  of  Braganza,  sailed  for 
Azamor,  which  they  reached  in  a  very  short  time.  Muley  Zeyan,  as- 
sisted by  his  two  sons,  met  them  with  a  considerable  force,  and  a 
great  battle  was  fought  here.  The  Moorish  warriors  fought  with 
lion-like  courage ,  but  great  lamentation  soon  proceeded  from  the 
town,  for  their  brave  leader  was  killed,  having  been  struck  by  a 
shell.  This  sudden  loss  soon  deprived  them  of  all  their  courage ;  in 
haste  they  left  the  place,  and  in  passing  through  the  city  gates,  the 
throng  became  so  enormous  that  eighty  of  them  were  crushed  to 
death.  The  day  had  hardly  began  to  dawn,  and  in  Azamor  a  death- 
like silence  was  prevailing,  when  all  at  once  a  voice  was  heard  pro- 
ceeding from  the  city  wall:  "Diego  Verrio!  Diego  Verrio  !"  It 
was  the  voice  of  a  friend,  an  old  acquaintance  fi'om  the  native 
country,  that  of  Jacob  Adibe,  who  had  been  exiled  from  Portugal. 
Without  delay  Jacob  wished  to  be  led  before  the  duke.  Diego 
Verrio  consented  to  lead  him.  "  The  town  is  free  !"  With  these 
words  Jacob  fell  on  his  face.  "Azamor  is  delivered,  O  Duke! 
Azamor  is  free !  I  entreat  you  for  my  life,  for  that  of  my  brethren 
and  co-religionists!"  The  duke  raised  the  Jew  up  and  promised 
him  protection  and  support,  and  then  sank  ujDon  his  knees,  thanking 


348  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

God  for  His  mercy  in  giving  him  this  large,  important  town.  Jacob 
Adibe  had  the  promise  of  the  duke,  and  full  of  joy  returned  to  his 
family,  with  whom  he  soon  left  the  town. 

This  short  sketch  will  undoubtedly  suffice  to  show  that  in  the 
history  of  discoveries  and  conquests  Jews  have  played  no  insig- 
nificant part.  M.  Kayserling. 


Dr.  M.  Katseeling — A  noted  Kabbi  of  Pesth  in  Hungary,  a  man  of  great  research  and  lit- 
erary talent,  taking  a  true  interest  in  all  that  concerns  Judaism,  and  author  of  many  useful 
works. 

Infanta— A   princess    descended  from  the  I      Caravan— A  troop  or  body  of  merchants, 
royal  blood  of  Spain  or  Portugal.  |      Steategy— The  science  of    military   com- 

Abmada — An  armament  for  sea.  I  mand. 

Nautical — Pertaining  to  sailors.  | 


PSALM  XXIV. 

The  Lord  possesses  all  the  earth,  |  Raise  high  your  heads,  ye  gates  sublime; 

And  gives  to  life  on  earth  its  worth;        i  Eternal  doors!  make  wav  in  time. 
The  land  fie  raised  from  depths  of  seas.   Of  heaven'sgreat  scenes  "this  is  the  sum: 
Earth's  floods  transgress  not  His  decrees.   The  King  of  Glory— He  will  come. 

Whom  will  the  Lord  on  Zion  meet,      |        But  who  V  this  King  of  Glory  !  who  ? 

And  welcome  on  that  holy  seat  ?  I  The  Lord  Omnipotent  to  save  or  crush. 

Hands  pure  and  heart,  the  Lord  re-  j  Omnipotent  the  raging  war  to  hush, 
quires,  |      Lift,  oh,  ve  gates,  your  heads  on  high! 

Abhofs  all  lips  profane  and  liars.         j      Eternal  doors  !     His  steps  are  nigh  ! 
This    pure    man  God  will   strengthen,'      Of  heaven's  great  scenes   this  is  the 


bless, 


sum 


Admit  to  heights  of  holiness;  '      The  King  of  Glory— He  will  come. 

His  righteousness  is  from  the  Lord,  Rut  who  ?  the  King  of  Glory  !  who? 

Assured  salvation  his  reward.  \  The  Lord  of   hosts    who  worship  Him 

This  is  the  generation  pure  above: 

Who  shall  to  earth's  last  day  endure.    He  is  the  King  of  Glory— God  of  Love. 

Who  seek  the  Lord,  the  pilgrims  true;  j  A.  I. 

Their  guide  is  Jacob's  star  all  through. 


ANTONIO  J0SP:PH. 

[1650  a.] 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that,  among  the  many  victims  of  the  Inqui- 
sitions of  Spain  and  Portugal,  the  greatest  number  belonged  to  the 
Jewish  nation,  who  were  best  calculated  to  satisfy  the  greedy  desires 
and  passions  of  their  persecutors,  and  especially  to  furnish  a  rich 
booty  for  their  avarice.  But  these  Jewish  martyrs  counted  also  many 
eminent  men,  who,  owing  to  their  vast  knowledge  in  every  branch 
of  science  and  literature,  roused  the  envy  of  the  inquisitorial  body. 
While,  then,  some  of  these  men  are  known  to  posterity,  others  have^ 
thanks  to  the  ardor  of  the  Inquisition,  found  their  way  so  swiftly 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  24ft' 

from  earth  to  heaven,  that  their  names  are  never  mentioned  except 
in  Spain  and  Portup^al. 

At  a  distance  of  about  nine  miles  from  Braza  lies  the  Abbey  St. 
Martin  de  Tibaens,  which  is  considered  the  greatest  and  richest  in 
the  kingdom.  This  estabhshment  possessed  at  the  time  we  speak  of 
an  extensive  library,  which  comprised,  among  other  works,  all  the 
writings  of  every  man  of  importance  in  Portugal.  ■  Each  publication 
contained  also  the  author's  biograj:)hy,  and  a  treatise,  or  critique,  was 
added  to  each  work;  but  those  whose  knowledge  of  Portuguese  lit- 
erature is  limited  to  the  Lusiade  of  Camcens  would  really  feel  sur- 
prised were  they  to  know  anything  of  the  long  catalogue  of  names, 
and  the  immense  variety  of  literary  and  scientific  productions,  with 
which  this  collection  abounds.  Among  the  authors  whose  works 
have  been  carefully  preserved,  and  are  still  held  in  great  esteem,  are 
many  Israelites,  who  spent  their  time  and  labor  for  the  enlighten- 
ment of  a  people  whose  grateful  tribute  consisted  in  committing 
them  to  the  funeral  pile. 

Among  the  most  eminent  we  find  especially  mentioned  Antonio 
Hornem,  a  jurist,  and  professor  at  the  University  of  Coimbra,  who 
distinguished  himself  by  his  writings,  which  are  still  preserved  in 
the  University  library  of  that  place.  He,  with  many  others,  was 
accused  of  being  a  faithful  follower  of  the  Jewish  religion,  and  con- 
demned to  death.  He  suffered  death  at  Coimbra,  his  native  place, 
and  where  his  house  once  stood  a  monument  was  erected,  -^n  which 
his  name  was  engraved,  with  the  inscription  "Prjeceptor  Infehx."  In 
the  same  manner  may  be  mentioned  Freyre  Mascarenhas,  who,  as  he 
had  traveled  over  the  world,  understood  all  European  languages,  was 
a  member  of  the  learned  societies  in  Portugal,  and  published  the  best 
political  works  of  his  time,  in  which  he  fiilly  describes  the  battles, 
sieges,  earthquakes,  assassinations,  the  life  and  death  of  renowned 
men,  treaties  and  alliances,  which  he  himself  everywhere  witnessed, 
and  wherein  he  played  a  prominent  part.  "  He  saw  everything  he 
wrote,  and  wrote  everything  he  saw."  He  was  the  first  who,  in  1705, 
established  newspapers  in  different  parts  of  Portugal.  In  short, 
many  of  our  co-religionists  cou^ld  be  mentioned  who  became  cele- 
brated by  their  writings,  which,  as  already  stated,  are  still  preserved 
in  the  library  of  Braza. 

Among  the  dramatic  writers,  the  foremost  of  all  is  the  man  with 
whom  we  are  now  concerned,  Antonio  Joseph,  who  contributed 
more  to  the  rich  and  manifold  treasures  of  Portuguese  literature  than 
any  one  else;  and  enriched  the  Portuguese  stage  with  so  manj-  valu- 
able dramatic  works,  that  no  one  has  ever  produced  the  fourth  part 
only  of  what  he  wrote;  and  yet  we  find  that  this  celebrated  author, 
a  man  worthy  of  immortal  renown,  who  manifested  a  heroic  courage 
until  death,  is  hardly  known  by  name  among  his  co-religionists.  Of  his 
younger  days  very  little  is  known,  except  that  he  became  a  widower 


250  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

at  the  age  of  thirty,  the  period  when  he  first  commenced  writing  for 
the  stage.  Five  years  later  he  entered  a  cloister,  according  to  all 
appearance  upon  his  own  determination,  wishing  to  crush  the  sus- 
l^icion  which  he  was  aware  had  been  stirred  ujd  against  him  on  ac- 
count of  his  being  inclined  to  Judaism.  His  writings  gave  rise  to 
this  suspicion.  But  he  remained  here  only  a  very  short  time,  and 
soon  left  the  country  for  the  Brazils,  where  he  stayed  eight  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Portugal  once  more,  and  immediately  after  his 
arrival  was  cast  into  a  dungeon  by  the  Inquisition  on  a  charge  of 
having  openly  confessed,  on  two  different  occasions,  his  adherence 
to  Judaism;  yet  he  escaped  with  a  slight  punishment  and  a  heavy 
j^enance.  He,  however,  committed  himself  for  a  third  time  upon  a 
similar  accusation,  and  was  then  sentenced  to  die  on  the  funeral 
pile;  but  especially  for  asserting  that  he  was  all  his  lifetime  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  Judaism,  feeling  regret  that  he  only  embraced 
that  faith  when  he  was  ah-eady  forty-seven  years  of  age.  He  was 
then  circumcised,  for  which,  previously,  he  could  not  find  a  proper 
opportunity. 

After  the  tribunal  had  joassed  sentence  of  death  upon  him  he  ad- 
dressed the  inquisitors  as  follows :  "I  own  that  I  belong  to  a  faith 
which  you  yourselves  acknowledge  to  be  of  divine  origin  !  God  loved 
this  religion,  and  He,  according  to  my  belief,  is  still  attached  to  it, 
while  you  think  He  has  ceased  to  be  so;  and  because  your  belief 
differs  from  mine,  you  condemn  those  who  are  of  oj)inion  that  God 
continues  to  love  what  He  formerly  loved.  You  accuse  the  Moham- 
medans that  the  spread  of  their  religion  was  accompHshed  by  the 
sword,  and  in  this  you  are  quite  right;  but  do  you  not  diffuse  yours 
by  the  funeral  pile  ?  You  strive  to  prove  that  your  rehgion  is  of  di- 
vine origin,  pointing  to  the  jaersecution  or  destruction  of  the  heathen, 
that  blood  spilt  by  martyrs,  as  the  causes  of  its  growth;  but  now  you 
occui^y  the  place  of  a  Dioclesian,  and  let  us  take  your  j)lace.  You 
demand  that  we  should  become  Christians,  and  yet  you  are  far  from 
being  Cliristians  yourselves.  Be  at  least  men,  and  act  toward  us  as 
reasonably  as  if  you  had  no  religion  at  aU  to  guide  you,  and  no  reve- 
lation for  your  enlightenment.  If  Heaven  leally  loves  you  so  much 
and  has  favored  you  so  much,  in  revealing  unto  you  the  truth, 
then  you  are  indeed  its  beloved  children;  but  is  it  proper  for  chil- 
dren who  are  in  possession  of  their  jDaternal  heritage  to  hate  those 
who  are  not  participating  in  this  hereditary  portion?  When,  at 
some  future  period,  one  should  be  bold  enough  to  maintain  that, 
during  oui"  age,  the  nations  of  Europe  were  enlightened,  then  you 
will  be  quoted  in  proof  of  the  fact  that  they  were  barbarians." 

His  biographer,  who  was  an  eye-witness  to  his  execution,  gives  the 
following  descrij^tion  of  the  awful  spectacle:  "I  felt  some  desire," 
says  he,  "  to  be  present  at  the  auto-da-fe,  which  the  peoi:)le  wished 
for  with  feelings  of  delight.     On  such  a  day  women  were  jiermitted 


FOE  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  351 

to  dress  in  their  best  attire,  aud  to  appear  at  the  windows,  orna- 
mented with  jewels,  and  all  manner  of  precious  trinkets.  . .  .On  the 
arrival  of  the  king,  the  procession  began  to  move  fi'om  the  holy  office 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Dominic,  where  the  sentence  was  read  before 
the  criminals.  There  were  many  more  doomed  to  share  the  same 
fate,  the  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  being  Jews.  I  could  not  refrain 
from  admiring  the  king's  kindness,  who  condescended  to  tui*n  to  these 
sinners  and  admonish  them  to  repentance. 

"  The  Jews  remained  steadfast  to  the  last,  and  his  majesty  showed 
great  benignity  and  kindness,  especially  in  addressing  Antonio 
Joseph,  who  treated  him  with  silent  contempt;  a  few,  however,  im- 
plored the  king's  mercy,  and  were  pardoned.  In  spite  of  Antonio's 
silence,  the  king  continued  earnestly  to  urge  upon  him  to  save  his 
life  and  to  submit  to  baptism.  The  kindest  expressions  were  used 
to  move  his  obstinacy,  and  the  king  went  so  far  as  to  offer  him  his 
special  protection,  with  the  pi'omise  that  he  would  provide  for  his 
subsistence,  if  he  would  only  confess  his  errors  and  return  to  the 
arms  of  the  Chui*ch,  which  will  surely  receive  him  with  the  paternal 
love  of  a  mother.  Everybody  who  listened  to  the  king  was  astonished 
at  his  kind  condescension  toward  this  unfortunate  man,  who  pre- 
ferred to  be  burned  alive  to  uttering  a  single  word  in  defence,  or  in 
reply  to  the  king's  remarks;  and,  although  he  was  already  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  he  betraved  not  the  least  fear  or  weakness,  and 
nothing  but  an  ironical  smile  on  his  lips  could  be  perceived,  whenever 
the  monks  called  upon  him  to  rei:)ent  and  become  bajjtized. 

"Before  he  was  placed  on  the  funeral  pile  the  skin  of  his  fingers 
was  torn  off,  and  his  nails  cut  out,  because  these  fingers  had  once,  in 
a  sinful  manner,  touched  the  'host,'  which  had  thus  become  violated. 
He  bore  all  these  horrible  tortures,  and  the  agonies  of  the  funeral 
pile,  with  the  greatest  fortitude;  and  only  once  he  called  out  that  it 
was  an  infamous  shame  to  act  in  this  cruel  and  wicked  manner  toward 
a  man  who,  on  account  of  his  firm  belief  in  the  existence  of  one  God 
must  thus  suffer  death.  In  uttering  these  words,  he,  with  his  hand- 
kerchief, tried  to  keep  ofi'  the  flames,  which  now  threatened  him  on 
all  sides,  and  soon  deprived  him  of  consciousness.  All  at  once 
some  of  the  spectators  began  to  shout '"  Osseitaro  barbaro  "  (clip  his 
beard),  and  immediately  one  of  the  executioners  took  a  long  brush, 
and,  dipping  the  same  in  a  mixture  of  pitch  and  turpentine,  be- 
smeared the  venerable  beard  and  set  fire  to  it,  whereupon  the  mass 
rejoiced  and  clapped  their  hands.  Amid  oaths  and  imprecations  the 
people  dispersed ;  many  folding  their  hands  and  lifting  their  eyes 
on  high,  called  aloud,  "  Blessed  be  forever  the  goodness  and  mercy 
of  the  holy  office,  blessed  be  the  holy  trinity,  the  sister  of  the  Virgin 
Mary." 

Thus  died  one  of  the  noblest  sons  of  Israel,  who,  although  but 
little  known  among  his  co-religionists,  has  not  been  forgotten   in 


252 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Catholic  Portugal,  where  the  performance   of  his  dramatic  pieces 
draws  tears  even  to  this  day. 

Z.  Frankel. 


Dk.  Zachaeias  Frankel  was  born  in  Prague,  1801,  and  died  in  1874;  was  noted  for  his  piety 
and  his  great  erudition.  He  was  chief  Eabbi  of  Dresden  and  Leipsic,  author  of  many  useful 
works  on  science  and  theology,  editor  of  the  Monatschrift  and  principal  of  the  Breslau  Semi- 
nary. 


Maetyb— One  who  by  his  death  bears  wit- 
ness to  the  truth. 

Inquisition— The  court  established  in  some 
countries  for  the  detection  {as  they  say)  of 
heresy. 


Auto  da-fe  —The  execution  of  a  sentence  of 
the  Inquisition. 

Host— The  sacrifice  of  the  mass  in  the 
Roman  Church. 


REMEMBER  ME. 


Creator  of  the  world  of  light, 

Thou  yovereign,  high  and  holy  One  ! 
'Mid  cherubim  and  seraphs  bright 

Thou  sittest  on  Thy  sapphire  throne. 
Low  from  the  dust  my  voice. I  raise, 

And  lift  my  trembling  heart  to  Thee; 
Thou  searcher  of  our  silent  ways, 

Thou  Lord  of  Life,  "Remember  me." 

Remember  me  when  sorrows  roll 

With  tumult    through    my  troubled 
breast, 
When  darkening   cares  overwhelm  the 
soul. 
And  earth  can  give  nor  peace  nor 
rest; 


And  when  the  storm  is  in  the  sky; 

Thy  bow  of  promise  let  me  see. 
Then  hear  in  heaven  the  suppliant  cry,. 

My  Father,  still  "Remember  me." 

When  false  allurements  meet  my  eye. 

And  hidden  snares  my  steps  surround. 
Oh,  be  thy  presence  ever  nigh  ! 

At  my  right  hand  be  ever  found. 
Guide  me  secure  from  every  foe, 

Help  me  from  every  sin  to  flee, 
In  conflict,  sorrow,  weal  or  woe. 

Through  life's  short  hour,  "  Remem- 
ber me." 

J.  M. 


MANASSEH  BEN  ISRAEL. 

[1604  1657  A.] 
I. 

It  is  well  known  with  what  fanaticism  the  descendants  of  the 
Jews  were  persecuted  in  Poi-tiigal  from  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  Every  one  is  aware  that  many  terminated  their  lives  on 
the  funeral  pile  and  in  the  gloomy  dungeons  of  the  Inquisition;  that 
also  many,  in  order  to  escape  the  constant  snares  and  to  abide  in 
their  native  country,  which  brought  them  a  rich  support,  pretended 
to  acknowledge  the  Christian  religion,  and  under  this  cloak  they 
often  existed  during  many  generations,  without,  however,  extin- 
guishing their  love  for  their  true  religion.  Those  among  them  who 
grew  tired  of  this  pretence,  and  of  the  constant  watch  of  the  In- 
quisition, into  whose  hands  they  fell  after  all,  sooner  or  later  left 
the  country  and  sought  to  dwell  among  their  brethren  in  Italy  and 
Turkey. 

For  those  clandestine  Jews  who  remained  behind,  and  who  were 
still  very  numerous,  a  hard  time  was  approaching  at  the  commence- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  253 

ment  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Portugal  had  ceased  to  be  an 
independent  state,  having  been  annexed  by  the  cruel  Philip  to  the 
Sj:)anish  monarchy;  and  his  deep  hatred  toward  the  descendants  of 
the  Jewish  race  induced  this  new  monarch  to  apply  all  means  in 
order  to  discover  these  secret  Jews;  and,  wherever  they  could  be 
traced,  confiscation  of  property,  torture,  and  a  miserable  death,  be- 
came their  unfortunate  lot. 

When  Philip  III,  ascended  the  throne  the  Inquisition,  which 
during  several  years  discontinued  making  sacrifices  in  Portugal, 
commenced  again  its  activity,  and  even  with  more  rigor  than  on 
previous  occasions.  In  the  presence  of  the  regent  it  came  to  pass 
that,  on  August  3,  1601,  two  women  and  five  men,  one  of  whom 
was  the  lay-brother,  Diego  de  la  Assension,  were  publicl}^  burned 
in  the  capital  of  Portugal  on  the  charges  of  being  clandestine  Jews; 
but  it  was  merely  a  prelude  to  the  great  auto-da-fe,  which  took 
place  on  January  16,  1605,  in  the  market-j^lace  at  Lisbon.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  persons,  men  and  women,  appeared  in  their  j)eni- 
.  tential  garments,  and  confessed  publicly  that  they  were  guilty  of 
having  lived  according  to  Jewish  law.  The  king  regent  had  com- 
passion on  the  poor  sufferers,  and  by  paying  down  the  enormous 
sum  of  one  million  of  gold  florins  (8U0,00U  ducats,  and  500,000 
cruzades) — so  much  oidy  for  the  charitable  disposition  of  the  mon- 
arch— besides  another  100,000  cruzades  for  the  clergy,  he  exerted 
himself  to  procure  for  them  indulgence,  and  thus  their  lives  were 
spared. 

Dej)rived  of  their  property,  and  their  health  ruined  from  the  tor- 
tures they  had  undergone,  they  resolved,  together  with  many  others 
afraid  of  meeting  a  similar  fate,  to  leave  the  country,  and,  with  their 
families  reduced  to  the  most  abject  poverty,  they  took  the  road  to 
HoUand,  the  land  which  had  opened  its  hospitable  gates  to  these 
unfortunate  refugees  for  the  last  twenty  years. 

Among  those  persons  deprived  by  extortion  of  everything  they 
possessed,  and  now  ^vending  their  way,  sorrowful  and  dejected, 
toward  Amsterdam,  the  rich  capital  of  Holland,  there  was  also  a 
man,  with  his  vnie  and  a  boy  of  tender  age.  This  was  Joseph  ben 
Israel,  who,  although  poor  and  ill,  felt  nevertheless  happy  in  being 
the  father  of  Manasseh  ben  Joseph,  born  in  Lisbon  about  the  year 
1604,  and  commonly  called  Manasseh  ben  Israel.  Of  Manasseh's 
childhood  and  his  youth  we  know  no  more  than  the  statement  he 
himself  has  given  us.  Arrived  in  Amsterdam,  his  education  was 
intrusted  to  Rabbi  Isaac  Usiel,  an  emigrant  from  Fez,  who  was  the 
rabbi  of  a  small  congregation  just  formed.  He  was,  however,  noted 
for  his  Talmudic  and  mathematical  knowledge,  and  also  as  a  physi- 
cian and  poet  he  gained  great  celebrity;  and,  under  his  care,  the 
gifted  boy,  anxious  for  learning,  soon  made  such  progress  that  he 
was   enabled,  when  not  yet  fifteen  years   old,  to   come   forth   as 


254  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

preacher;  and,  before  he  was  eighteen,  to  occupy  the  place  of  his 
teacher,  who  died  in  1620.  About  this  time  Manasseh  was  married 
to  Rachel,  a  great-grandchild  of  Don  Isaac  Abarbanel,  who  was  of 
an  ancient  noble  family,  and  stood  in  high  honor  with  their  Spanish 
majesties.  He  was  proud  in  having  formed  this  engagement,  and 
always  adhered  to  the  opinion  that  the  Abarbanels  descended  in  a 
direct  line  from  the  royal  house  of  David.  The  youthful  iVIanasseh 
was  now  rabbi  and  preacher  of  the  "■  Neve  Salom "  congregation, 
and  imparted  to  the  growing  generation  a  knowledge  of  the  Tal- 
mud, or,  using  his  own  expression,  of  Jewish  theology.  From  his 
earliest  youth  he  always  had  a  special  predilection  for  rhetoric,  so 
that  he  very  soon  surpassed  as  orator  all  his  other  colleagvies;  and 
after  officiating  eighteen  years,  he  boldly  maintained  that  his  dis- 
courses were  listened  to  with  pleasure,  and  they  were  on  all  occa- 
sions received  with  approbation.  By  the  harmony  which  at  that 
time  prevailed  among  the  different  congregations  of  the  free  states- 
general,  it  was  in  no  wise  strange  that  also  Christians  and  their 
men  of  talent  very  often  visited  the  synagogue,  and  that  especially 
Manasseh's  friends,  Barlaeus,  Vossius,  and  others,  of  whom  we  shall 
speak  hereafter,  were  constantly  among  his  audience;  also  the  most 
renowned  pulpit  orator  of  his  time.  Father  Antonio  Vieyra,  a  coun- 
tryman, and,  as  rumor  will  have  it,  formerly  a  co-religionist  of  Man- 
asseh, visited  at  diiferent  times  the  synagogue  at  Amsterdam  during 
his  stay  in  Holland,  in  the  years  1646  and  1647,  in  order  to  listen  to 
the  discoui'ses  of  the  man  who  had  already  become  known  to  him 
as  a  scholar  by  the  different  religious  disputations  he  had  hitherto 
carried  on  with  him.  This  Portuguese  minister  attended  also  the 
discourses  of  Isaac  Aboab,  who  was  renowned  as  a  clever  preacher 
as  well;  and,  being  once  asked  which  of  the  two  Jewish  preachers 
pleased  him  most,  he,  in  order  to  avoid  offence  and  to  do  justice 
to  both  of  them,  very  ingeniously  replied :  "  Manasseh  says  what  he 
knows,  and  Aboab  knows  what  he  says."  Aboab  may  have  sur- 
joassed  Manasseh  in  richness  and  depth  of  ideas,  while  Manasseh's 
discourses  were  more  instructive  and  j^opular,  and  even  more 
acceptable  to  the  pubhc  at  large ;  he  was  the  "  gran  rio  de  eloquen- 
cia,"  and  thus  became  the  favorite  of  his  congregation. 

Nevertheless,  the  extraordinary  busy  mind  of  this  young  man  was 
not  free  from  heavy  cares  for  sustenance,  with  which  he  had  to 
struggle  aU  his  lifetime ;  for,  in  spite  of  the  approbation  which  his 
discourses  met  with,  as  weU  as  in  spite  of  his  indefatigable  official 
activity  and  exemplary  sense  of  duty — giving  daily  eight  hours' 
instruction — he  was  by  his  rich  congregation  not  placed  in  a  jDosi- 
tion  freely  to  devote  himself  to  study  and  science,  his  salary  being 
barely  sufficient  to  support  himself  and  family  respectably.  The 
poor  rabbi  had  therefore  no  other  alternative  than  to  turn  his  mind 
to  material  advantages.     He  resolved  upon  establishing  a  printing 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  255.- 

business,  and,  withovit  loss  of  time,  lie  entered  upon  the  execution 
of  his  plan.  On  January  1,  1627,  he  finished  the  first  impression 
of  his  printing  house,  consisting  of  a  Hebrew  prayer-book,  accord- 
ing to  the  Spanish  ritual.  This  was  the  first  of  those  works  for 
which  Amsterdam  afterward  became  so  famous,  owing  to  its  impor- 
tant typographical  establishments.  In  this  prayer-book  it  is  stated 
that  Manasseh  was  induced,  on  account  of  the  worn-out  state  of  the 
Bambergean  types,  to  cast  fresh  ones  of  beautiful  finish,  according 
to  the  plan  of  Michael  Jehudah  Leon,  the  well-known  Sopher,  which 
probably  gave  rise  to  the  tradition  that  in  Amsterdam  the  tj'jDes 
were  cast  of  gold  and  silver.  Thus  Manasseh  is  considered  the 
founder  of  the  Hebrew^  printing-press  in  Holland.  Soou' after  the 
publication  of  this  pra^^er-book  a  Hebrew  grammar  of  his  teacher, 
Usiel,  followed,  and  a  few  months  later  appeared  an  Index  to  Kab- 
bot,  a  small  publication  by  the  proprietor  of  the  printing-ofiice  him- 
self, to  which  he  gave  the  title  "Pnai  Rabbot,"  being  his  first 
attempt,  not  yet  twenty-four  years  old,  in  entering  upon  a  literary 
career,  and  in  which  he  successfully  persevered  till  the  end  of  his 
life.  Manasseh  ben  Israel  understood  thoroughly  ten  languages; 
he  wrote  Hebrew,  Portuguese  and  Spanish  with  elegance,  and  Eng- 
lish with  surprising  dexterity.  Although  unable  to  speak  Latin 
with  the  fluency  he  could  master  other  languages,  his  knowledge 
thereof  nevertheless  cannot  be  denied,  or  in  the  least  doubted,  inas- 
much as  the  Latin  works  he  published  (of  which  we  possess  his  own 
authority  that  they  were  written  bj-  himself  j  must  have  emanated 
from  his  pen,  and  jDcrhaps  only  a  slight  assistance  of  some  of  his 
learned  friends  may  have  come  to  his  advantage.  That  he  was,  how- 
ever, an  expert  in  that  language  is  sufficiently  proved  by  his  trying 
his  skill  also  as  Latin  poet ;  for  he  wrote  an  ode,  a  paraphrase  of 
the  126th  Psalm.  But  his  early  reputation  became  established  with 
the  pubHcation  of  his  "  Conciliador,"  of  which  the  first  part  ap- 
peared in  1632  at  the  sole  expense  of  the  author.  This  was  the  first 
of  his  larger  jDublications  with  which  he  ventured,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  to  come  before  the  public.  Perhaps  at  no  time  has 
a  book  composed  by  a  Jew  received  such  a  reception  and  general 
approbation  as  the  "  Conciliador."  The  Rabbinical  College  at  Frank- 
fort-on-the-Main,  over  which  the  well-known  Sabbatai  (Schaftel) 
Hurwitz  presided,  approved  the  work  of  this  "  great  man,  well 
known  for  his  erudition  and  the  sacreclness  of  his  character ; "  the 
philosopher,  Abraham  C'ohen  de  Herrara;  the  Licentiate,  Daniel  de 
Caceres,  and  the  celebrated  physician,  Zacuto  Lusitano,  recom- 
mended the  work  to  their  Sj)anish  and  Portuguese  cc-religionists. 
Dr.  Joseph  Bueno  and  Iramanuel  Nehemias,  the  intimate  friend  of 
the  author,  immortalized  the  occasion  in  some  beautiful  verses; 
Dionysius  Vossius  translated  the  work  into  Latin,  and  Marco  Luz- 
zato  into  Italian. 


256  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

In  this  work,  published  in  the  Spanish  language,  Manasseh  im- 
posed upon  himself  the  difficult  task  of  "  conciliating  "  various  seem- 
ingly contradictory  passages  of  Holy  Writ,  and  also  of  the  Penta- 
teuch, which  extend  over  his  first  volume,  to  equalize  and  to  remove 
all  contradictions  by  weighty  reasons.  Extraordinary  assiduity  he 
spent  uj^on  this  composition,  and  he  himself  confesses  that  it  took 
him  five  years  to  accomplish  it;  and  every  page  of  his  extensive 
book  gives  jDlain  proof  of  his  being  well  read  in  holy  as  well  as  pro- 
fane writing-s  of  different  hteratiu'es;  here  Euripides  and  Virgil, 
there  Sohar  and  Midrash;  here  Maimonides  and  Leon  Febreo,  there 
Plato  and  Aristotle;  Scotus  and  Albert  Magnus;  next  to  Gabirol 
and  Nachmanides;  Paul  de  Burgos  and  Nicolaus  de  Lira,  in  a  range 
with  Isaac  Luria  and  Moses  Cordovero;  above  two  hundred  and 
ten  Hebrew  works  and  fifty-four  Greek  and  Latin,  Spanish  and 
Portuguese  authors  are  in  the  first  volume  alone  made  use  of  and 
quoted.  Biit  the  manner  in  which  he  solves  his  task  leaves  aU  ex- 
pectations, 1  may  almost  say,  quite  disappointed.  In  the  "  Concil- 
iador,"  as  well  as  in  all  other  works  in  which  he  treats  upon  theo- 
logical and  philosophical  matters,  Manasseh  appears  but  as  a  learned 
and  clever  compiler;  veiy  seldom  only  does  he  tender  an  idea  of  his 
own  matured  within  himseK;  it  is  sufficient  for  him  to  gather  the 
heterogeneous  oj)inions  of  his  predecessors,  and  to  place  them  side 
by  side  ;  a  real  philosophical  value  none  of  his  works  can  claim. 

Yet  Manasseh  wished  to  be  regarded  as  a  philosopher,  and  was 
fond  of  wi-apping  himself  in  the  philosophical  garb,  and,  with  a  sort 
of  self-satisfaction,  styled  himself  "Theologian,  Philosopher,  and 
Doctor  of  Physics."  If  a  knowledge  of  various  subjects  of  phil- 
osophy, an  acquaintance  with  a  compendium  of  a  history  of  phil- 
osophy alone,  is  sufficient  to  stamp  any  one  as  philosopher,  then,  of 
course,  Manasseh  must  be  counted  as  such.  It  is  absolutely  imjDos- 
sible  that  a  man  whose  views  were  deeply  rooted  in  the  Cabala,  to 
whom  mystics  and  blind  heroes  of  faith  appear  as  higher  God- 
inspired  beings,  who  takes  every  allegorical  representation  in  its 
literal  sense — it  is  impossible  that  a  man  who  found  pleasure  in 
cipher-plajdng  and  the  mystic  formation  of  words,  who  allows  his 
fancy  the  widest  scope,  and  in  visions  has  intercourse  with  the 
Deity;  that  such  a  man,  in  spite  of  his  great  gifts  and  endowments, 
could  have  raised  himself  to  free  thoughts  and  a  pure  jDhilosophic 
activity  of  the  mind.  Manasseh  allowed  himself  to  be  drawn  on  by 
the  j)revailing  sj)irit  of  the  age,  and  with  his  works  attached  him- 
self closely  in  matter  and  form  to  the  Hollanders,  his  j)resent 
countrymen.  Whoever  is  acquainted  with  the  scientific  manage- 
ment emulated  in  Holland,  especially  during  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, will  soon  perceive  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  difference 
between  his  writings  and  those  of  the  learned  men  in  Holland. 
After  this  short  and  general  criticism,  which  was  necessar}^  to  pre- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  257 

cede  the  estimate  of  Manasseh's  literary  activity,  we  will  now  con- 
sider the  various  writings  of  which  he  was  the  author.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  bring  these  under  proper  classification;  but,  taking 
them  as  a  whole,  they  may  be  analyzed  in  the  three  following  main 
groups:  Theologic-philosophical,  theologic-hermeneutical,  and  his- 
torical writings.  

n. 

Under  the  first  group  of  Manasseh's  writings,  the  theologic-philo- 
sophical, we  count  all  those  works  which  treat  upon  the  soul,  im- 
mortality and  resurrection;  on  sin,  the  creation,  and  similar  themes. 

For  several  years  the  learned  men  of  Holland  were  engaged  in 
a  controversy,  started  first  by  the  physician  and  senator,  Beverov- 
icius,  of  Dortrecht,  whether  the  termination  of  the  life  of  man  is 
subject  to  mere  chance,  or  guided  by  a  higher  power.  The  aged 
Vossius,  Hugo  Grotius,  and,  above  all,  the  learned  Episcopius,  had 
already  stated  their  views  upon  the  question,  when  the  physician 
of  Dortrecht  applied  also  to  Rabbi  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  whom 
Rosales  had  recommended  to  him,  in  order  to  obtain  his  opinion  as 
well  upon  this  significant  theme.  Manasseh,  according  to  his  own 
statements,  hesitated  at  first  to  comj)!}^  with  this  honorable  sum- 
mons; but,  after  much  persuasion  by  his  friends,  he  published,  in 
1639,  his  "De  Termino  Vitae,"  being  written  in  Latin,  and  sixty 
years  later  translated  into  English  by  Pococke.  The  answer  of  the 
pious  man,  as  may  be  expected,  had  the  tendency  to  show  that  the 
termination  of  life  is  not  from  God  prefixed  or  determined,  but 
depends  upon  the  natural  condition  of  man,  his  temper,  and  the 
influence  of  climate. 

To  this  production,  we  may  add,  in  regard  to  its  contents,  his 
Avork  "On  the  Resurrection"  (De  Resurrectione  Mortuorum),  pub- 
lished in  the  Spanish  language,  and  soon  afterward  rendered  into 
Latin.  It  is  said  that  the  infidelity  of  some  of  his  co-religionists, 
who  were  emigrants  from  the  same  country,  induced  him  to  come 
forth  with  this  publication,  consisting  of  three  volumes.  In  the  first, 
he  collects  all  pai-ts  of  the  Pentateuch,  the  prophets  and  sacred 
writings,  in  which  the  views  of  the  rabbis  in  respect  to  the  doctrine 
of  immortality  and  resurrection  are  hinted  at,  and  proves,  as  he  ex- 
pressed himself,  ab  experienta,  but,  in  fact,  in  a  mystic-cabalistical 
manner,  that  the  departed  rise  again  to  a  new  life.  He  is  led  in 
this  connection  to  refute  the  contradictory  views  of  the  Sadducees, 
and  speaks  his  mind  upon  reward  and  punishment  accordingly. 
The  second  volume  treats  upon  the  most  notable  forms  of  resurrec- 
tion, while  the  third  contains  a  compilation  of  views  of  the  Cabalists 
in  regard  to  eternity  and  the  heavenly  abode  of  the  righteous. 

A  few  years  later,  he  was  induced  to  take  part  in  a  controversy 
which  originated  in  the   Church,   and  was   can-ied  on  with  great 

PART   II. — 17. 


258  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

spirit,  in  regard  to  sin  and  grace;  and  he  published  his  work  "On 
Human  Weakness  and  the  Inclination  to  Sin"  (De  la  Fragilidad 
Humana,  e  Inclinacio  del  hombre  al  Peccado).  In  this  work  he 
speaks  principally  upon  the  doctrine  jDrevaihng  in  the  Church  in 
regard  to  original  sin,  and  proves  esj^ecially  that  only  the  impulse 
to  sin  is  innate  in  man,  who  enters  the  world  clear  and  free  of  all 
guilt;  but  that  this  impulse  may,  through  the  law  and  the  duties 
incumbent  ujDon  every  one,  become  checked  and  subdued. 

As  partly  proceeding  from  these  writings  may  be  considered  his 
larger  Hebrew  work,  entitled  "  Nishmas  Chajim."  Having  had  tact 
enough  in  the  above  writings,  destined  for  Christian  readers,  to  keep 
within  limit  his  extravagant  views,  he  now  makes  uj^  for  it  in  the 
latter  publication,  presented  to  his  co-religionists,  in  setting  forth 
his  wisdom,  as  drawn  from  the  Sohar  and  the  Cabalists,  about 
dreams,  visions,  angels,  etc.,  calculated  only  for  the  uneducated  of 
the  Portuguese  Jews,  who  were  aheady  inclined  to  superstition,  and 
were  becoming  still  more  confirmed  in  the  same.  His  pamphlet 
concerning  the  creation,  previously  alluded  to,  must  also  be  brought 
imder  this  class  of  publications,  especially  as  it  obtained  some  im- 
portance on  account  of  Barlaeus  having  celebrated  it  by  a  poetical 
effusion,  which  caused  a  dispute  among  the  learned  men  of  that 
time,  lasting  several  years.  ' 

To  the  second  class,  the  theologic-hermeneutical  works,  belongs 
chiefly  the  already  quoted  ''  Conciliador,"  of  which  the  second 
volume  appeared  in  1641 ;  then,  in  1650,  the  third;  and  the  fourth 
and  last  part  in  1651.  As  supplement  to  this  work,  so  much 
praised  by  Jews  and  Christians,  appeared  in  1655  his  "  Piedra  Glo- 
riosa  o  de  la  Estatua  de  Nebuchadnesar,"  published  in  Spanish, 
and  dedicated  to  his  friend,  Isaac  Vossius.  In  this  w^ork  he  ex- 
j)lained  Daniel's  interpretation  of  the  dream  of  the  Babylonian  king, 
without,  however,  producing  anything  new  upon  this  subject;  but  it 
has  gained  a  lasting  reputation,  even  unto  the  present  time,  on  ac- 
count of  Rembrandt,  the  greatest  and  most  original  master  of  the 
Dutch  school  of  jjainters,  having  executed  for  the  same  four  etch- 
ings, which  Manasseh  himself  explains  in  the  jDreface.  The  exceed- 
ingly industrious  Manasseh  intended  also  a  similar  publication  on 
the  '' Seventy  Weeks  of  Daniel,"  but  it  never  apj)eared  in  print. 
Several  of  his  theological  works  also  remained  unpublished,  and, 
among  others,  one  on  the  "Divine  Origin  and  the  Authority  of  the 
Mosaic  Doctrine",  which  was  already  commenced  in  1641;  also  a 
work  entitled  the  "  Ichnography  of  Jewish  Theology,"  as  well  as  a 
"  Polemical  Philosophy,"  on  the  "  Science  of  the  Talmudists  in  all 
its  Branches;"  another,  too,  on  the  "Necessity  of  Tradition,"  and 
others  besides,  which,  although  they  never  came  before  the  public, 
must,  nevertheless.  Vie  taken  as  j)roof  of  the  ardent  endeavors  with 
which  Manasseh  was  animated.     He  wanted  to  do  his  utmost,  and 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  259 

touched  upon  almost  every  topic.  With  a  "  Bibliotheca  Eabbinica  ' 
in  its  widest  scope,  and  a  "  Hebrew- Arabic  Dictionary,"  he  intended 
to  surprise  the  world,  and  many  of  his  fertile  thoughts  woidd  have 
been  brought  into  jjractice,  if  this  restless,  active  man  had  been 
placed  in  a  more  comfortable  position,  without  being  obliged  to 
seek  material  advantages.  Ele  intended  to  bestow  upon  his  co- 
religionists a  book  containing  ample  instructions  in  respect  to  all 
their  religious  obligations,  and  in  consideration  of  which  he  was 
especially  induced  by  the  elders  of  his  congregation  to  publish  his 
"  Thesare  dos  Dinim  "  (1645-47).  This  work,  of  which  the  fifth  and 
last  volume  treats  upon  the  duties  of  women,  on  wedlock,  etc.,  was 
dedicated  to  the  brothers  Abraham  and  Isaac  Pereyra,  besides  to 
the  "very  noble  learned  and  women  of  the  Portuguese  nation," 
and  was  written  in  four  weeks.  It  embraced  the  entire  six  hundred 
and  thirteen  rituals  in  a  simple  and  jjlain  form,  without  the  author 
indulging,  as  often  has  been  the  case  in  modern  times,  in  useless 
bombast,  or  falsely  attributing  any  symbolic  signification  to  the 
same.  We  have  now  only  to  mention  his  rendering  of  Phocylides 
into  Spanish  verse,  furnished  with  musical  notes,  which  procured 
him  a  place  in  the  ranks  of  Spanish  poets;  also  his  intended  Hebrew 
translation  of  the  Aphorisms  of  Hipj)ocrates,  which  belongs  to  the 
third  class  of  his  historical  works.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
promised  "  Heroic  History"  (Heroyca  Historia),  as  he  calls  it,  on 
which,  according  to  his  assertion,  he  spent  much  time,  never 
reached  the  public.  His  intention,  however,  desei-ves  acknowledg- 
ment, for  he  not  only  wished  to  exj^lain  and  to  correct  Josephus, 
but  to  add  also,  as  it  were,  a  continuation  of  the  same  Jewish  his- 
tory from  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  up  to  the  time  in  which  he 
lived.  "  In  my  continuation  of  Josephus,  I  have  faithfully  noted 
the  names  of  persons,  the  places,  and  the  time  where  and  when 
every  occurrence  has  happened,"  he  states  in  a  pamphlet  ("Deliv- 
erance of  the  Jews")  which  he  published  shortly  before  his  death. 
In  paying  due  honor  to  his  statements,  we  believe,  nevertheless,  that 
the  few  historical  fragments  w^hich  we  j)ossess  in  the  "  Deliverance 
of  the  Jews,"  in  "  Israel's  Hope,"  and  in  his  published  "  Address  to 
the  English  Nation,"  are  the  best  part  of  the  whole  material  which 
Manasseh  had  collected  for  his  "  Heroic  History."  Manasseh  was 
in  nowise  suited  to  become  the  historian  of  the  nation;  his  manifold 
occupations  would  never  have  allowed  him  to  give  that  attention 
and  assiduity  which  such  a  work  really  requires.  A  most  necessary 
requisite  of  the  historian  is  the  critical  mind,  of  which  he  was  en- 
tirely deficient;  his  piiblication,  "Israel's  Hope,"  amply  proves  how 
he  was  inclined  to  all  that  is  fabvilous  and  mystic,  even  in  writing 
upon  historical  subjects. 

Relying  mainly  on  a  statement  of   a  certain  Aaron  Levi  (or  An- 
tonio Mantesino),  who  came  to  Amsterdam  on  the  18th  of  EUul, 


260  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

5404  (Sept.,  1644),  lie  believed  the  wonderful  tale  thus  communi- 
cated to  him  by  that  individual,  who  asserted  that  he  met  in  Amer- 
ica a  wild  race  of  men  who  read  the  Shemah,  adhered  to  many  Jew- 
ish customs,  and  therefore  must  be  Jews ;  whereujDon  he  imme- 
diately published  in  Spanish  "Israel's  Hope,"  which  he  himself  trans- 
lated into  Latin.  In  this  work  he  inquires  into  the  history  of  the 
ten  tribes,  and  at  length  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  aborig- 
ines of  America  were  descendants  of  those  lost  brethren,  and,  con- 
sequently, that  the  wild  Indians  were  of  Jewish  origin.  This  re- 
markable work  caused,  nevertheless,  on  account  of  its  being  piquant 
and  new,  some  sensation  among  the  ]3ubHc  at  large,  and  became 
soon  translated  into  several  languages.  A  few  years  after  its  pub- 
lication, Theophil  Spizelins  refuted  Manasseh's  statements,  and  also 
Simon  Luzzato  censured  him  on  the  same  account. 

The  remaining  works  which  belong  to  the  historical  class  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  refer  to  afterward,  and  for  the  present  we  shall 
proceed  to  speak  in  relation  to  Manasseh's  social  standing  and  dis- 
position. 

Manasseh  ben  Israel  was  as  upright  in  character  as  he  was  digni- 
fied in  aj^pearance.  He  formed  not  only  the  center  of  the  intellect- 
ual Jews  of  his  time,  but,  owing  to  his  comprehensive  knowledge, 
drew  also  the  attention  of  learned  Christians  to  such  an  extent  that 
his  reputation  reached  Paris  and  London,  Silesia  and  Poland,  and 
other  remote  places.  They  considered  him  a  phenomenon,  inas- 
much as  the  learning  which  one  met  with  in  the  Kabbi  was  quite 
unexpected,  and  with  all  his  piety  he  showed  toleration  enough  to 
win  him  the  hearts  of  all  classes  of  the  population.  Letters  reached 
him  from  the  most  distant  parts.  He  was  continuallj  called  upon 
to  give  his  opinion  about  the  most  difficult  theological  questions  of 
the  day.  It  is  no  boast  of  Manasseh  when  he  states  in  the  second 
volume  of  the  "  Conciliador  '  that  he  had  answered  more  than  two 
hundred  letters  to  different  learned  men  in  Europe.  His  works 
caused  a  great  stir  in  the  literary  repubHc,  and  the  mere  name  of 
the  author  was  everywhere  a  sufficient  recommendation.  He  was 
considered  a  Polyhistor,  and  very  seldom  did  any  man  of  learning 
pass  his  dwelling  without  paying  Manasseh  a  visit,  in  order  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  the  "Rabbi  of  Amsterdam."  The  circle  of  his 
Christian  friends  and  acquaintances  was  very  extensive. 

A  natural  consequence  of  the  tolerance  which  the  free  States- 
General  exercised  toward  the  professoi-s  of  the  Jewish  faith  was  that 
Christians  came  more  in  contact  with  Jews,  who  accordingly  as- 
sisted Cliristians  to  the  utmost  in  all  their  scientific  endeavors,  both 
trying  to  forward  each  other's  views.  It  was  especially  to  the  Chris- 
tians of  that  time,  the  same  as  formerly,  a  matter  of  importance  to 
make  the  study  of  Hebrew  a  necessary  element  of  education;  and 
even  women  acquired  Hebrew  knowledge,  such  as  the  celebrated 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  361 

and  notorious  Anna  Maria  von  Sclinrniann,  who  wrote  even  Hebrew 
poetry  .with  ease,  and  also  Henrietta  Catharina  Frisia,  who  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  Greek,  Latin,  Italian,  Dutch,  Hebrew,  Arabic  and 
Ethiopian  languages.  Thus  it  proved  a  much-wished-for  opportu- 
nity to  associate  with  learned  Jews,  and  owing  to  Manasseh's  per- 
sonal amiability  he  received  many  calls,  every  one  being  aware  that 
he  could  give  all  possible  information,  and  always  felt  glad  to  do  so. 
Even  women  of  rank  and  talent  did  not  fail  to  visit  him ;  and  the 
just-named  Schurmann  continually  sought  his  advice,  and  even  bor- 
rowed books  of  him  on  several  occasions,  for  which  we  have  her 
own  statement  in  the  Hebrew  grammar  she  published.  In  his 
"  Deliverance  of  the  Jews  '  he  says :  "  I  have  become  familiarly  ac- 
quainted with  various  great,  wise  and  eminent  men  in  Euroj^e;  they 
came  from  numerous  places  to  visit  me,  and  we  had  much  friendly 
intercourse  together;  yes,  Caspar  Barlaeus,  the  Virgil  of  our  time, 
and  many  others,  have  written  poems  in  my  praise;  but  I  do  not 
make  this  statement  (far  be  it  from  me)  out  of  vain-glory.'' 

The  renowned  poet  and  historian,  Caspar  Barlaeus,  who  suffered 
much  persecution  on  account  of  his  liberal  religious  views,  and  of 
whom  Manasseh  speaks  so  affectionately,  was  one  of  his  oldest  and 
most  intimate  friends.  When  Manasseh  published  his  "  De  Crea- 
tione,"  he  composed  in  his  honor  a  Latin  poem,  full  of  genius  and 
grace,  and  in  which  he  did  not  deny  his  liberal  views.  Although 
nothing  unsuitable  could  be  found  therein,  he  was  nevertheless  ac- 
cused of  being  an  atheist,  and  Videlius,  a  pious  clergyman,  wrote 
a  whole  volume  against  him,  calumniating  him  and  his  Jewish 
friend. 


ni. 

Among  other  intimate  acquaintances  of  Manasseh  were  all  the 
members  of  the  Vossius  family.  Grerhard  Vossius,  the  father  of  the 
family,  was  not  only  friendly  disposed  toward  the  Jews,  but  sought 
Manasseh's  acquaintance,  as  he  himself  confesses  (Vossi  Epistol^e  I.)^ 
on  accovmt  of  the  assistance  he  rendered  him  in  his  studies;  and  in 
course  of  time  felt  so  much  affection  for  Manasseh  that  he  contin- 
ually honored  him  with  his  visits,  and  recommended  him  to  his 
fi'iends.     Vossius  writes  to  Van  der  Linder,  a  professor  at  Ley  den: 

"  Yesterday  I  had  a  visit  from  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  accompanied 
by  Isaac  Rocamara,  a  Portuguese  Jew,  who  was  born  about  1600  in 
Valencia,  and  trained  for  the  ministry.  He  lived  many  years  under 
the  name  of  Fray  Vincente  de  Rocamara,  as  Dominican  monk,  and 
was  confessor  to  the  Empress  Maria  of  Austria,  a  Spanish  princess, 
who  held  him  in  great  esteem.  In  1643  he  went  over  to  the  faith 
of  his  ancestors,  and  performed  with  his  own  hands  the  operation 
which  brought  him  again  within  the  pale  of  Judaism.  For  two 
years  he  studied  medicine,  and  has  made  such  progress  that  he  con- 


362  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

siders  himself  capable  of  obtaining  the  dignity  of  Doctor  from  your 
university.  He  was  highly  recommended  to  me  by  Manasseh,  your 
kind  friend,  whom,  as  you  know,  I  exceedingly  love  and  esteem." 

The  friendship  of  the  father  reverted  to  the  sons,  who  also  hon- 
ored and  respected  Manasseh  as  their  teacher.  Dionysius  trans- 
lated under  his  care  several  parts  of  Maimonides,  and,  as  already 
mentioned,  he  rendered  the  "  Conciliador  "  into  Latin.  Isaac  Vossius 
kept  up  correspondence  with  him,  and  in  his  capacity  of  chamber- 
lain to  Queen  Christina  of  Sweden  did  him  many  important  ser- 
vices. With  Hugo  Grotius,  too,  an  eminent  theologian  and  pro- 
found philosopher,  was  Manasseh  on  friendly  terms.  Grotius  was 
not  bashful  in  putting  numerous  questions  to  him,  which  Manasseh 
never  wearied  in  answering  in  a  prompt  and  satisfactory  manner. 
This  readiness  soon  procured  him  the  attachment  of  this  eminent 
man,  who  otherwise,  in  spite  of  his  "  Benevolentia,"  iipon  which  his 
law  of  nations  is  based,  and  in  spite  of  the  theory  that  men  should 
practice  benevolence  and  love  toward  each  other,  could  not  shake 
off  his  old  prejudices  against  the  Jews;  but  Manasseh  seemed  in 
some  kind  of  a  manner  to  have  extorted  fi'om  him  that  esteem  which 
he  so  undeservedly  withheld  from  his  nation.  With  what  esteem  and 
veneration  he  always  treated  Manasseh,  his  letters  (ib.  Epistol.,  564) 
addressed  to  him  while  Swedish  Ambassador  at  the  French  Court, 
sufficiently  prove.  These  letters  were,  however,  not  a  vague  compli- 
ment; Hugo  Grotius  did,  indeed,  think  so  of  his  learned  Jewish 
friend.  On  October  30,  1638,  he  mentioned  to  Vossius:  "  Manasseh, 
who  has  my  best  wishes,  is  a  useful  man  both  to  state  and  science;" 
and  in  the  same  letter  to  Vossius  he  makes  the  confidential  remark : 
"  I  am  writing  again  to  Manasseh,  whom  I  do  esteem  not  only  for 
his  learning,  but  also  for  his  judgment;  he  is  treading  successfully 
in  the  footsteps  of  Eben  Ezra,  Maimonides  and  Abarbanel.  His 
well-known  pubhcations  are  much  read  here  and  highly  valued." 
Others,  too,  like  Episcopius,  Vorstius,  Meursius,  Blandel  Bochart, 
etc.,  esteemed  Manasseh  on  account  of  his  vast  knowledge  and  ex- 
cellence of  character. 

Another,  who  made  his  personal  acquaintance  during  his  stay  at 
Amsterdam,  was  the  skeptic  Huet,  the  violent  opponent  of  the  Car- 
tesian system,  and  the  most  fierce  enemy  of  the  "  wretched,  honi- 
ble "  Spinoza,  as  Malebranche  likes  to  call  him.  He  had  read  the 
works  of  this  learned  Jew,  and  heard  much  of  his  reputation,  and 
said  "  he  desired  to  fathom  the  mental  powers  of  the  Eabbi,  and 
obtain,  if  possible,  his  opinion  about  the  Christian  religion."  ITie 
principles  of  faith  were  mostly  discussed  during  their  long  and  con- 
tinual interviews.  During  one  of  these  scientific  conversations  he 
all  at  once  resolved  upon  being,  for  the  sake  of  his  faith,  disgusted 
with  all  philosophy,  and,  even  in  contradiction  with  himself,  to  pub- 
lish his  "  Demonstratio  Evangelica,"  his  most  important  work,  in  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRA.EL1TES.  263 

preface  of  wliicb  lie  also  mentions  Manasseh,  and  was  in  hope  that 
his  book  would  put  a  stop  to  the  increasing  degeneration  of  his 
time.  With  the  same  intention  as  Huet,  who  took  leave  of  Manas- 
seh with  regret,  many  others,  such  as  Sobierre  and  Felgenhauer, 
Frankenborg  and  Mochinger,  came  to  see  him. 

Sobierre,  known  as  a  great  wit,  came  to  Amsterdam  in  1643,  and 
visited  Manasseh  "because  he  deserved  it,  for  he  was  the  most 
learned  man  of  his  time,  and  well  known  through  his  works."  One 
time  during  Passover  they  met  at  the  house  of  their  fiiend  Episco- 
pius,  and  Manasseh  being  invited  to  partake  of  some  wine,  excused 
himself  on  the  plea  that  the  goblet  may  also  have  been  used  for 
beer,  and  perhaps  an  atom  of  that  beverage  might  have  remained 
in  the  vessel.  The  enthusiastic  Felgenhauer  met  Manasseh  at  the 
house  of  their  mutual  fiiend,  Peter  Serarius,  and  the  conversation 
turned  upon  the  Messiah,  whose  appearance  was  then  looked  for, 
and  occupied  the  attention  of  many  a  learned  man.  This  induced 
the  former  to  publish  his  pamplilet,  "  A  Happy  Message  for  Israel," 
and  to  dedicate  it  to  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  the  "  Jewish  philosopher 
and  theologian."  But  Felgenhauer  was  not  the  only  one  whoin 
those  times  comforted  Israel  in  this  manner:  there  was  also  Henry 
Jesse,  a  Dutch  clergyman,  who  maintained  the  same  views,  which 
he  laid  before  the  public  in  his  pubHcation,  'The  Salvation  of 
Judah  and  Israel,"  dedicating  the  same  also  to  Manasseh.  An  Eng- 
lish preacher,  Nathaniel  Hommes,  wi'ote  also  on  the  same  subject, 
and  many  of  the  clergy  of  his  nation  entii'ely  agreed  with  him. 
Abraham  von  Frankenborg,  the  most  renowned  man  in  Silesia, 
addressed  several  letters  to  Manasseh  upon  the  same  theme,  and 
became  so  intimate  with  him  that  he  sent  him  his  likeness  in 
bronze,  bearing  the  emblem  of  a  wandering  man  with  a  light,  and 
having  the  inscription,  "Thy  word  is  a  light  for  my  path."  Frank- 
enborg's  colleague  and  friend,  Johannes  Mochinger,  who  was  re- 
vered in  Pmssia  almost  like  a  saint,  was  also  in  correspondence 
with  Manasseh,  and  in  one  of  his  letters  he  makes  the  following 
remarks : 

"  I  cannot  say  what  desire  after  truth  forced  from  Abraham  de 
Balmes  (a  great  grammarian  and  physician  of  Padua,  who  trans- 
lated several  of  Averroe's  works  into  Hebrew)  these  words:  'Science 
has  perished  on  account  of  Israel's  sins,  so  that  they  do  not  further 
even  their  native  language,  much  less  the  sacred,  in  order  to  bring 
to  light  those  works  which  captivate  the  jiublic'  But  with  you,  high- 
honored  sir,  is  not  only  the  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  also 
the  knowledge  of  the  Latin  language,  to  be  praised  and  admired.  I 
cannot  recollect  any  one  of  your  nation  to  be  compared  with  you. 
In  fact,  one  should  point  at  you  with  fingers!  I  have  ventui'ed, 
therefore,  to  beg  of  you  to  continue  your  endeavors,  and  to  remember 
the  words  of  Hillel:  '  At  the  place  where  no  man  is,  be  thou  a  man.'  " 


264  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

IV. 

The  circle  of  Manasseh's  friends,  as  well  as  his  correspondents,, 
is  so  extensive  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  give  the  same  in  full;  v^^e 
will  therefore  only  mention  that  many  of  his  co-religionists  were 
also  intimately  acquainted  with  the  renowned  Rabbi,  and  among 
whom  we  may  notice  here  Immanuel  Boearro  Frances  y  Rosales,  a 
celebrated  physician.  He  wrote  in  Manasseh's  praise  a  poem  en- 
titled "  Carmen  Intel] ectuale;"  also  his  most  intimate  friend,  Imman- 
uel Nehemias ;  the  renowned  physician,  Joseph  Bueno;  Doctors 
Raphael  Levi,  Ephraim  Bueno;  his  two  relatives,  Jonas  and  Daniel 
Abarbanel;  Moses  and  Abraham  Pinto;  Daniel  Abudiente  (uncle  of 
the  great  gTammarian,  Moses  Gideon  Abudiente;;  David  Senior 
Henriquez,  Zacuto  Luhitano,  a  physician  whose  works  gained  great 
reputation;  the  Licentiate  Daniel  de  Caceres;  the  Doctor  Diego 
Barrasso,  and  many  others.  The  latter  here  named  was  noted  for 
his  vast  knowledge  in  astronomy,  medicine  and  botany,  as  well  as 
for  his  acquaintance  with  the  Arabic  and  Syrian  languages.  He 
lived  for  some  time  in  Castile,  j)retending  to  profess  Christianity, 
till  at  length  he  came  to  Amsterdam  and  publicly  acknowledged 
Judaism.  To  him  Manasseh  dedicated  his  work  "  De  la  Fragilidad 
Humana."  The  last  and  onl}'  one  w^hich  now  remains  to  be  men- 
tioned is  the  well-known  Joseph  Salomo  del  Medigo,  fi'om  Candia, 
who  in  his  ti'avels  visited  Amsterdam,  where  he  made  Manassehs 
acquaintance,  who  enabled  him  to  publish  a  selection  of  his  written 
works. 

But  whoever  has  friends,  enjoying  repiitation  and  aj^plause,  is 
seldom  without  enemies,  and  thus  many,  who  had  become  envious 
about  the  great  success  Manasseh  had  achieved,  began  to  harass 
and  injure  him.  Besides,  constant  want  and  trouble  never  left  his 
abode,  and  all  this  was  in  nowise  calculated  to  better  his  condition. 
His  numerous  occupations  increased  year  by  year,  but  he  never 
shrunk  for  a  moment  from  the  task  he  had  imposed  upon  himself, 
feeling  always  contented  if  he  could  satisfy  the  modest  demands 
which  life  requii-ed  of  him.  His  printing  establishment  was  cer- 
tainly a  great  help  to  him  during  many  years,  having  produced 
many  excellent  Hebrew  and  Spanish  works,  besides  some  of  his 
own  pubHcations;  but  even  in  this  branch  he  began  to  suflfer  on 
account  of  the  great  competition  he  afterward  met  with ;  so  that  he 
had  no  other  alternative  left,  according  to  his  own  assurance,  than 
to  throw  himself  into  the  hands  of  Mercury,  and  thus  the  Rabbi, 
owing  to  want,  was  forced  to  become  a  merchant.  To  this  purpose 
he  had  already  sent  one  of  his  relatives,  Ej)hraim  Sociro,  to  the  Bra- 
zils, hoping  that,  in  the  way  of  business,  he  might  probably  be  able 
to  ameliorate  his  condition.  He  now  resolved  upon  leaving  Hol- 
land altogether  and  making  Brazil  his  future  home.  His  prepara- 
tions for  the  journey  were  scon  made.     He  had  just  finished  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  265 

second  volume  of  liis  "  Couciliador,"  which  he  dedicated  to  the  Direc- 
tors of  the  East  India  Company,  and  to  several  eminent  co-religion- 
ists residing  at  Pernanibuco,  in  expectation  of  a  friendly  reception. 
He  obtained  fi'om  the  Prince  of  Orange  some  recommendations  to 
the  Prefects  of  the  Brazilian  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  remaining 
firm  in  his  resolution,  he  was  ready  to  take  his  departure,  to  the 
utmost  regret  of  his  friends  and  almost  all  classes.  Vossius  the  elder 
writes  to  Grotius  (1640): 

"  Manasseh  intends  to  depai't  for  Brazil;  he  will  probably  show 
his  learning  in  that  country,  but  I  believe  it  is  principally  business 
which  urges  him  to  this  step.  He  is  a  man  given  to  science,  and 
thirsts  after  fame;  but  he  is  without  means,  and  his  family  circum- 
stances compel  him  to  venture  upon  this  undertaking."  To  which 
Grotius  replied  on  February  2,  1640: 

"  My  heai-t  sincerely  desires  that  Manasseh  may  prosper,  and  I 
am  only  sorry  that  his  circumstances  should  oblige  him  to  go  so  far 
away  from  us.  Could  I  serve  him  for  the  favors  rendered  me,  I 
would  do  it  with  pleasure.  I  always  believed  that  the  Jews  of  Am- 
sterdam were  rich  and  liberal,  but  now  I  find  that  I  have  been  mis- 
taken. I  can  hardly  believe  their  statement.  I  think  they  like  to 
be  considered  poorer  than  they  really  are." 

In  solemn  manner  he  took  leave  of  his  congTegation,  and  was  on: 
the  point  of  "  deserting  the  home  which  so  often  had  been  entered 
by  noble  and  learned  men,"  when,  all  at  once,  the  Jews  of  Amster- 
dam began  to  see  their  folly,  and,  becoming  aware  of  the  great 
worth  of  this  rare  man,  they  now  made  efibrts  to  prevent  him  from 
carrying  out  his  plan.  The  great  and  opulent  house  of  Abraham 
and  Isaac  Pere^'ra,  who  had  just  settled  in  Amsterdam,  apj^ointed 
him  President  of  the  Academy,  of  which  they  were  the  founders, 
and  this,  as  well  as  other  arrangements  made  by  his  congregation, 
placed  him  in  a  position  to  abandon  his  emigration  scheme,  and  to 
carry  on  his  literary  and  scientific  pursuits  still  further.  He  now 
gave  much  of  his  time  to  the  schools,  in  which  he  imparted  instruc- 
tion in  the  Talmud,  the  Pentateuch,  and  many  other  useful  branches 
of  education.  His  printing  establishment  was  for  a  time  carried 
on  by  his  friend,  Elias  Aboab,  from  whom  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Joseph,  one  of  Manasseh's  sons,  who  was  a  great  linguist  and 
Talmudist,  and  who  directed  its  affairs  from  1646  to  1648.  He  after- 
ward had  occasion  to  visit  Danzig,  and  also  Lublin,  in  which  place 
he  died  at  the  age  of  twenty,  to  the  unutterable  grief  of  his  father. 

In  course  of  our  reflections  we  have  surveyed  Manasseh,  from  a 
scientific  point  of  view,  as  a  productive  author,  poor  rabbi  and 
preacher  of  his  congregation,  as  a  greatly  extolled  fr-iend  of  learned' 
Christian  men;  but,  in  the  sjilendor  of  his  real  greatness,  he  appears 
in  his  far-extending  practical  activity,  in  his  efficiency  for  the  wel- 
fari  of  his  brethren,  and  as  the  representative  of  his  nation.     Man- 


366  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

asseh  wished  nothing  less  than  to  procure  for  the  Jews  fresh  places 
of  abode,  to  gain  liberty  for  his  oppressed  nation;  being  never  afraid 
to  appear  before  princes  and  potentates,  and  only  with  this  noble 
intention  he  saluted  queens  and  princesses.  For  no  other  reason 
than  to  obtain  permission  for  the  naturalization  of  Jews  in  the  Scan- 
dinavian peninsula  he,  with  the  kind  assistance  of  his  friend  Vos- 
sius,  visited  Queen  Christina.  This  young  queen  was  a  thorough 
Hebrew  scholar,  and  took  great  interest  in  all  Oriental  studies. 
Manasseh  received  her  order  to  send  a  selection  of  Hebrew  works 
and  manuscripts  to  Sweden,  the  cost  of  which  amounted  to  360  im- 
perials. 

After  her  abdication,  Manasseh  continued  to  correspond  with  the 
queen,  and  during  her  stay  in  Antwerp  he  had  an  interview  with 
her,  after  which  he  published  his  panegyric  to  her,  written  in  Span- 
ish, with  a  Latin  translation  placed  opposite  to  it.  But  his  whole 
exertion  went  to  induce  the  queen  to  interest  herself  in  behalf  of 
his  suffering  brethren  both  at  home  and  abroad.  His  endeavors, 
in  connection  with  the  admission  of  Jews  into  England,  met  with 
better  success,  for,  after  an  elapse  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
years,  the  Jewish  question  was  once  more  revived  in  England,  and 
Manasseh  was  successful  in  his  efforts.  The  Jewish  nation  could 
not  have  wished  for  a  better  advocate  to  plead  their  cause  than 
Manasseh,  and  his  petitions  in  reaching  London  (October,  1655), 
which  were  addressed  to  Cromwell  and  the  English  nation,  are  ad- 
mired even  to  this  day. 

But  Manasseh  was  not  destined  to  see  the  fruits  of  his  never- 
tiring  activity.  Cromwell  dismissed  him  in  an  honorable  manner, 
bestowing  upon  him  a  yearly  pension  of  £100  sterling.  Before, 
however,  he  had  reached  his  home,  death  overtook  him  at  Middle- 
burg,  a  town  in  Zealand,  in  the  year  1657.  His  remains  rest  in 
Amsterdam.  On  all  sides  nothing  but  lamentations  were  heard 
when  the  sad  news  of  his  death  became  known,  for  there  had  died 
one  of  the  most  eminent  and  remarkable  men  of  the  Jewish  nation. 

M.  Kayseeling. 


Fanaticism— Religious  frenzy.  |     Assiduity— Diligence. 

Clandestine — Secret.  !      Hetebogeneous— Opposite   or  dissimilar  in 

Pbelude — Something  that  shows  what  is  to  [  nature 
follow.  Physics — The  science  of  nature  or  natural 

Ducat — A  coin,  in  gold  valued  nine  shillings  I  objects. 
and  sixpence,  English  Compendium — Abridgement;   summary. 

Predilection— i'reference.  Allegorical — Not  real;  not  literal. 

Rhetoric — The  act  of  speaking  with  art  and  :      Hkrmeneutical  -  Science  of  interpreting, 
slegance.  i      Ichnography— The  ground  plot. 

Typography — The  art  of  printing.  [      Polemic — Controversial 

Ode— A  poem  written  to  be  sung  to  music'      Cartesian — Pertaining   to   the  philosopher 

To  Paraphrase — Not  literal;  not  verbal.        1  Des  Cartes,  or  to  his  philosophy. 

Licentiate— A  degree  in  a  university.  Panegyrist — One  that  writes  praise. 

To  Immortalize — To  perpetuate.  I 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


367 


AN  INVOCATION. 


Oh,  harp  of  Judah  !  wake  again  ! 

Can  no  one  deftly  touch  thy  strings 
To  scatter  far  the  sacred  strain, 

Which  from  divinest  patience  springs? 
Have   all    the   strife   sown,    troublous 
years 

No  joys  for  happy  song  to  cast  ? 
Can  love  distill  no  hope  from  tears. 

Or  steal  no  beauty  from  the  past  ? 

Has  music  lost  its  spell  and  power 

To  summon  hopes  rhat  only  rest  ? 
Endowed  with  truths,  our  lasting  dower. 

That  mock  the  ages'  wear  and  test. 
Can  no  heart-stirring  melody. 

Imbued  with  light  and  touched  with 
fire, 
Flow  from  a  nation  pi-oud  and  free, 

Whose  past  must  urge  them  to  aspire? 

Reproach,  an  ignominious  sea, 

Can  follow  in  our  wake  no  morej 
The  poisoned  waves  of  calumny 

Are   washed  away    from  Freedom's 
shore; 
The  justice  of  a  nobler  age 

Has  reached  and  raised  our  scattered 
race; 
Our  history  shows  a  fairer  page. 

Our  future  wears  a  brighter  face. 

The  rooted  weeds  of  narrow  thought 
Which  closely  cling,  or  idly  spread, 
Which      ignorance     has     sown     and 
wrought, 


Invocation— The    act  ot   calling    upon   in 
prayer. 
Deftl:?— Neatly. 


Are    crushed  and   buried    with    the 
dead; 
A  loftier  sense  of  heavenly  things, 

A  wider  view  of  human  life. 
Have  fashioned  tolerance;  which  brings 

Its  own  repose  to  cast  off  strife. 

Beyond  man's  vain  imaginings, 

Is  Israel's  faith  that  never  dies, 
The  boon  of  slaves — the  pride  of  kings; 

Its  meanings  make  the  nations  wise. 
And  through  the  mists  of  ages  gone, 

Its  God-stamped  visions  still  appear, 
As  in  the  Bible's  earliest  dawn, 

Supremely  true,  divinely  clear  ! 

And  who  asserts  that  Judah's  claim 

To  any  chosen  land  is  o'er  ? 
When  all  the  earth  contains  her  fame 

That  spreads  and  widens  evermore; 
The  truths  that  sanctify  her  creed 

Shall  scatter  hope  where    e'er  they 
shine. 
Until  all  men  shall  feel  the  need 

Of  her  own  iniity  divine. 

So  wake,  my  harp,  my  fingers  press 

Thy  riist-worn    stHngs,  while   fancy 
longs 
To  dower  with  melodiousness 

The  burden  of  unuttered  songs; 
My  faltering  touch  may  reach  in  vain 

The  music  of  my  sacred  themes, 
Still  Truth  may  charm  the  feeble  strain, 

And  lends  its  sweetness  to  my  dreams. 
A.  I. 


DowEE — Gift. 
Ignominious — Sbameful. 
ToLEHANCE— Act  of  enduring. 


MOSES  CHAIM  LUZZATO. 

[1707-1746  A.] 
The  learned  Moses  Chaim  Luzzato,  born  in  the  year  1707,  received 
his  education  from  the  erudite  Rabbi  Jeshaja  Bassan,  author  of 
Lachma  Thoda,  the  excellent  Eabbi  Jizchock  Chaim  Cantarini,  author 
of  Pashad  Jizchock,  Eth  Kez,  Pi  Sefarim,  and  Ekeb  Rab,  as  well  as 
from  other  celebrated  scholars,  who,  at  that  time,  resided  at 
Padua,  and  whose  instruction  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  enjoy. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  published,  at  Mantua,  the  first  volume  of 
his  book,  Leshon  Limudim,  and  soon  afterward  Chanukhat  Haaran, 


268  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

containing  among  others  seven  hymns  of  the  book  of  Psahns,  which 
he  completed  at  a  later  period.  Moses  grew  up  amidst  the  wise 
rabbis  of  his  time,  who  then  occupied  the  office  of  Judges,  and  he  ob- 
tained thus  a  knowledge  of  the  natural  sciences  in  practice  and  religion ; 
acquiring  also  the  Greek,  Latin  and  French  languages,  inasmuch  as 
God  had  bestowed  on  him  a  comprehensive  mind,  euabhng  him  to 
conceive  all  science  and  knowledge  in  a  thorough  manner.  He 
opened  an  academy  at  his  house,  and  soon  obtained  pupils  desirous 
of  learning,  attending  daily  to  his  instruction  in  the  Bible,  the  Tal- 
mud and  Midrashim,  so  that  he  and  his  establishment  soon  got  into 
great  repute  far  and  near. 

Besides  his  learning  he  was  also  blessed  with  wealth,  which  he 
appropriated  to  benevolent  purposes,  maintaining  and  assisting 
everybody  in  whose  heart  God  had  planted  a  desire  for  knowledge. 

The  study  of  Cabala  had,  at  that  time,  greatly  advanced;  every 
aspiring  mind  was  longing  for  something  beyond  the  fettei's  of 
earthly  nature;  every  genius  gifted  with  conception,  despising  the 
common  incidents  of  the  day,  and  seeking  for  hidden  secrets,  turned 
his  study  to  the  Cabala.  But  this  science  did  great  mischief  in  these 
days,  being  made  use  of  by  perverse  people,  followers  of  the  false 
prophet  Shabtai  Zebi,  who  spun  a  web  of  mysteries  and  miscon- 
structions, wherewith  they  tried  to  draw  the  inexperienced  into  their 
net.  The  eminent  men  of  that  period,  however,  perceiving  the 
mischief  which  these  extravagant  notions  brought  about,  soon  com- 
menced to  subdue  these  cabalistic  writings,  and  endeavored  to  pull 
down  the  foundation,  in  order  to  destroy  the  phantom  thus  built 
upon.  The  learned  Rabbi  Jehuda  Aija,  of  Modena,  rose  like  a  lion, 
and  in  his  work,  Shagath  Arjectri  Noliem,  which  in  MS.  is  still  in 
existence,  attacked  with  all  might  the  study  of  the  Cabala  and  all  its 
adherents,  both  of  ancient  and  modern  time. 

But  Moses  Luzzato,  a  man  who  possessed  all  accomplishments  and 
capacities  to  perfection,  and  whose  fullness  of  thought  and  action 
animated  him  to  soar  unto  higher  regions,  had  acquainted  himself 
with  cabalistic  science,  which  is  indeed  more  suitable  for  the  heated 
imagination  than  for  a  reserved  mind,  and  had  acquired  all  its  mys- 
terious doctrines  and  mysteries  from  the  pupils  of  the  celebrated 
Moses  Sakhut,  in  Venice.  He  then  advocated  the  doctrine  in  public, 
and  published  a  work,  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue,  controverting  the 
book  A7^i  Nohem.  This  treatise  he  first  submitted  for  a  sifting  ex- 
amination to  his  celebrated  teacher,  Bassan;  his  father-in-law,  then 
administrator  of  justice  at  Mantua,  the  renowned  cabalist,  the  author 
of  Amumath  Chachamim,  and  the  learned  Gar  Arje  Zinzi.  The  work 
met  with  great  favor.  Thereupon  some  of  the  Venetian  rabbis  rose 
against  Luzzato,  for  they  had  to  defend  the  honor  of  their  country- 
men, the  author  of  Ari  Noliem,  and  thus  heaped  a  mass  of  unjust 
reproaches  upon  Moses,  inasmuch  as  they  maintained  that  he  made 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRA.ELITES.  369 

the  law  his  study  merely  for  the  sake  of  ignoble  intentions,  and 
that  all  his  coadjutors  in  league  with  him  are  followers  of  the  lying 
prophet  Shabtai  Zebi.  They  also  enticed  the  learned  Ohagies,  a  man 
of  zealous  mind,  to  turn  against  him.  He  joined  another  German 
scholar  to  fight  the  battle,  and  they  succeeded  in  spreading  among 
the  celebrated  men  of  Germany  the  story  that  Moses  really  belonged 
to  the  heretical  party.  This  had  many  evil  consequences,  as  deline- 
ated in  the  book  Thorath  Hakenaoth,  published  by  Rabbi  Jabetz. 
He  was  a  man  who,  with  heart  and  might,  fought  for  truth,  yet  was 
not  inclined  to  do  justice  to  his  opponents,  but  without  examination 
gave  ear  to  everybody  who  complained  about  his  enemies. 

Thus  Luzzato  was  attacked  in  an  unjustifiable  manner;  he  never 
dreamed  of  setting  himself  up  as  the  Messiah,  as  his  enemies  w^ould 
have  it,  and  his  treatise  on  redemption,  wTitten  for  encouraging  the 
faint-hearted,  and  to  give  them  the  assurance  that  God  will  redeem 
Israel  in  due  time,  must  be  suflftcient  to  silence  his  accusers.  His 
great  teacher.  Rabbi  Jeshaja  Bassan,  who  was  the  ornament  of  his 
time,  protected  him  against  his  opponents,  to  bear  witness  for  him, 
being  a  man  of  pure  heart,  noble  mind,  full  of  faitlifulness  toward 
God  and  man. 

The  spirit  with  which,  it  is  said,  he  often  conversed — ridiculed  by 
many  and  considered  a  lie,  while  others  speak  favorably  of  Luzzato 
a,nd  declare  it  possible  that  probably  one  of  a  thousand  distin- 
guished men  may  have  had  the  privilege  of  a  holy  being  revealed 
unto  him —was,  however,  nothing  but  his  own  spirit,  that  of  wisdom, 
w^ith  which  he  was  so  mightily  endowed,  and  upon  which  the  mass, 
as  generally  is  the  case  with  all  invisible  divine  powers,  were  ever 
ready  to  bestow^  a  name.  Whatever,  in  his  mode  of  life,  they  could 
not  understand,  they  thought  of  looking  for  in  heaven;  in  the  same 
manner  people  carried  on  at  all  times,  as  history  sufficiently  cor- 
roborates. Also,  in  the  Psalms  and  in  the  book  of  Sohar  Thnijana, 
which  Luzzato  wrote,  his  opponents  found  occasion  to  attack  his 
reputation  and  to  put  a  stain  upon  his  good  name;  but  their  eager- 
ness and  their  attacks  rose  from  a  mean  service.  Who  has  ever 
heard  that  men  of  sense,  if  they  not  intentionally  aim  at  doing  mischief, 
would  pass  sentence  on  an  intellectual  giant  because  he  produced 
marvelous  poems  in  masterly  style  ?  But  to  condemn  him  even  for 
the  sake  of  the  opinion  of  a  man — that  surely  has  never  been  or- 
dained by  God.  I  do  not  here  pretend  to  become  a  judge  between 
Luzzato  and  his  opponents,  for  this  is  not  my  intention  in  writing 
these  lines,  but  rather  to  lift  the  rose  out  of  the  mire  of  malevolence. 
Among  Luzzato's  enemies  there  was  not  one  who  dared  to  attack 
the  purity  of  his  actions  and  his  efficacy.  But  the  power  which 
animated  him  with  a  divine  ardor,  which  became  his  share  from 
the  sacred  Sepharim,  the  eternal  prophets  of  divine  hymns,  that  was 
the  power  of  his  poesy.     His  contemporaries,  however,  living  in 


270  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

darkness  and  incapable  of  understanding  such  a  being,  could  not 
perceive  that  this  power  was  the  center  from  which,  while  he  re- 
mained in  the  land  of  the  living,  all  his  acts  proceeded  and  to  which 
they  again  returned. 

Luzzato  was  blessed  with  riches,  and  he  possessed  at  Amsterdam 
an  establishment  for  cutting  and  iDolishing  diamonds,  where  the 
pious  grandfather  of  Rabbi  Girandi  acted  as  manager.  He  relates 
that  Luzzato  at  that  time,  when  he  had  to  battle  with  public  opinion, 
made  it  a  rule  to  sift  minutely  all  his  acts,  even  the  most  hidden,  in 
order  to  effect  a  change  for  the  better,  in  case  something  evil  should 
have  crept  in  unawares;  but  he  knew  that  he  was  clear  of  all  faults, 
and  at  length  even  public  opinion  became  favorably  disposed 
toward  him.  He  had  at  Amsterdam  a  number  of  disciples,  who  all 
followed  the  light  of  his  instruction.  The  celebrated  poet,  David 
Chofshi,  called  him,  in  the  preface  of  the  book  Derech  Chochma, 
the  ornament  of  poetic  talent,  the  croAvn  of  poets,  master  of  the 
seven  liberal  arts.  In  conclusion  he  says  :  "  His  pure  soul  breathed 
its  last  in  the  Holy  Land ;  he  has  attained  salvation,  and  has  pre- 
pared it  for  others  with  his  numerous  writings,  which  are  full  of 
wisdom,  knowledge  and  the  fear  of  God.  Happy  am  I  that  I  had 
the  fortune  of  being  one  of  his  pupils."  At  the  age  of  forty  Moses 
departed  unto  God,  in  the  land  of  Israel,  in  the  sacred  town  of 
Tiberias,  and  was  buried  next  to  Rabbi  Akiba.  The  rabbis  and 
learned  men  of  Tiberias  sent  to  all  Israelitish  congregations  a  letter 
full  of  lamentation  and  grief,  wherein  it  stated:  "The  teaching  of 
truth  was  in  his  mouth,  wrong  was  not  found  upon  his  lips;  niany 
he  brought  back  from  sin  to  the  jDath  of  virtue,  and  none  rose  in 
Israel  like  Moses." 

This  short  account  of  his  career,  which  has  been  preserved  to  us, 
is  sufficient  proof  of  his  estimable  qualities.  But  his  productions 
puzzled  many  great  and  learned  men.  What  they  saw  astonished 
them.  They  could  not  conceive  it;  what  his  heart  contained  was 
unattainable  for  them.  Moses  understood  his  brethren,  but  they 
would  not  understand  him.  While  he,  upon  the  wings  of  his  genius, 
soared  to  heavenly  regions,  they  looked  from  the  earth  after  him  who 
was  wrapped  in  clouds.  Yet  his  valuable  writings  have  established 
what  he  contrived  and  explained.  They  secure  for  him  a  remem- 
brance forever  blessed,  and  for  his  soul  immortality. 

Dk.  Letteris. 

Dr.  Lettebis,  late  of  Vienna,  a  man  of  great  learning  and  research ;  one  of  the  greatest 
Hebrew  scholars  of  his  time;  author  and  translator  of  many  works  into  Hebrew,  and  whose 
translation  of  Gbthe's  "Faust"  into  Hebrew  gained  him  a  world-wide  reputation. 


Cabaia— Tradition;   a  mysterious  kind  of  I      Malevolence  — Ill-will;  inclination  to  hurt 
science.  others. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


271 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  LORD. 


The  mighty  voice  of  the  Lord 
Was  upon  the  waters  that  day; 

Like  thunder  it  scattered  abroad 
The  works  that  before  it  lay  ! 


The  white  cliffs  trembled  and  shook; 

They  broke  at  its  angry  blast, 
They  shivered  in  pieces  before  His  look. 

And  into  the  foam  were  cast ! 


The  voice  of  the  Lord  was  heard  The  voice  of  the  Lord  flashed  fire, 

On  the  powerful  ocean  that  night;        ;      And  bars  of  iron  gave  way; 
The  billows  arose,  and  the  depths  were  \  They  bent — they  fell  as  the  waves  I'ose 


stirred 
In  their  glorious  power  and  might. 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  is  grand  ! 

It  lifts  up  the  waves  on  high; 
They  proudly  sweep  o'er  the  land, 

And  the  works  of  man  defy  ! 

The  voice  of  the  Lord  awoke 
The  slumbering  ocean's  tide; 

That  voice,  "full  of  majesty,"   spoke, 
And  the  sea  in  its  roar  replied  ! 


higher, 
And  tossed  them  about  in  their  spray  ! 

Then  the  mighty  sea  had  rest, 

In  its  beauty,  its  clearness,  its  calm; 
The  voice  of  the  Lord   was  hush'd  on 
its  breast. 
Which    heaved  'neath   His  heavenly 
arm  ! 

Rosa  Emma  Collins. 


N.  H.  WESSELY. 

[1725-1805  A.] 

The  age  of  Mendelssohn  will  always  be  regarded  as  famous  in 
Jewish  history;  for  his  name  suggests  a  cluster  of  brilliant  men, 
who  were  pioneers  in  the  yet  unbroken  paths  of  science,  literature, 
and  social  emancipation,  and  whose  sturdy  efforts  cleared  the  road 
for  a  later  generation.  Of  these,  Naphtali  Herz  Wessely  occupies  a 
prominent  place;  for,  like  Reuchlin  in  the  century  of  the  Protestant 
Reformation,  he  too  brought  about  a  revival  of  the  Hebrew  lan- 
guage, not,  however,  as  his  prototype  had  done,  in  the  Church,  but 
among  his  own  brethren. 

Born  at  Hambui'g  in  1725,  Wessely  possessed  so  remarkable  a 
talent  for  languages  that  he  understood  German,  French,  Danish 
and  Dutch;  in  Hebrew  he  distanced  his  contemporaries;  he  was  well 
versed  besides  in  mathematics,  history  and  natural  science.  His 
Hebrew  style  was  pure,  fluent  and  lofty.  It  abounded  in  graceful 
and  sublime  metaphors.  His  knowledge  of  Hebrew  was  so  pro- 
found, and  it  responded  so  deeply  to  the  sentiments  of  his  mind  and 
heart,  that  the  comparative  neglect  in  which  it  stood  among  his 
brethren  filled  him  with  dismay;  and  he  resolved  to  devote  his 
genius  to  its  revival.  He  felt  that  loyalty  to  Judaism  was  indissol- 
ubly  connected  with  loyalty  to  the  Hebrew  language.  For  forty 
years,  from  the  appearance  of  his  "  Hebrew  Synonyms  "  in  1765  to 
his  death  in  1805,  his  literary  activity  was  continuous.  A  book- 
keeper in  Amsterdam,  he  published  in  1765  his  commentary  on  the 
"  Ethics  of  the  Fathers."     In  1771  he  went  to  Hamburg,  and  there 


372  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

married.  In  the  day  he  was  a  lowly  merchant;  in  the  evening  a 
Hebrew  student.  Bat  his  business  not  joroving  lucrative  he  settled 
in  Berhn,  entered  into  the  sei-vice  of  a  banker,  and  published  in  1775 
his  translation  of  Ecclesiastes  with  a  commentary,  in  pure  Hebrew. 
In  business  he  was  far  less  successful  than  in  literature,  and  soon 
after  he  had  been  dismissed  by  his  principal,  owing  to  the  latter's 
advancing  years,  he  fell  into  the  greatest  poverty.  To  gain  an  in- 
come, he  was  obliged  to  give  public  lectures  on  the  Bible,  which 
sufficed  for  his  modest  wants. 

In  Berlin  he  found  a  firm  friend  in  Mendelssohn,  and  wrote  for 
him  a  commentary  on  the  last  three  books  of  the  Pentateuch. 
Among  the  strict  conformists  he  stood  in  high  esteem,  because  he 
scrupulously  observed  the  Kabbinical  laws.  But  when  the  Emperor 
Joseph  11.  issued  his  famous  Edict  of  Toleration,  and  Wessely  was 
consulted  on  the  subject  of  education  by  the  Community  of  Trieste, 
he  urged  them  to  improve  their  system,  to  develop  a  higher  cul- 
ture, and  teach  the  Hebrew  at  the  same  time  as  the  mother  tongue, 
but  defer  the  Talmud  until  a  maturer  age.  A  storm  then  broke 
loose.  The  Rabbinical  party  strongly  censured  him,  and  there  was 
heated  discussion,  until  finally  the  Rabbis  of  Trieste,  Venice,  Fer- 
rara,  Reggio,  and  elsewhere  decided  in  his  favor.  Without  chang- 
ing in  the  least  his  strict  observance  of  Rabbinical  laws,  he  taught 
now  aU  the  more  tenaciously  for  enlightenment.  In  1788  appeared 
his  Sepher  Hamiddoth,  his  "  Book  on  Morals,"  superb  in  diction 
and  style,  and  at  last,  after  some  lyrics,  his  epic  on  Moses,  Shire 
Tefereth,  in  five  parts,  the  sixth  and  last  being  wi'itten  in  1829  by 
M.  T  Landau,  of  Prague. 

This  poem  was  an  awakening  for  the  Jews  of  the  day.  No  one 
had  imagined  that  the  Hebrew  language  was  capable  of  being  made 
the  medium  for  such  lofty  sentiment.  That  it  should  possess  such  a 
wealth  of  synonyms,  such  a  smoothness  of  expression,  such  poetical 
power  and  brilliancy,  was  not  dreamed  by  those  who  had  associated 
the  Hebrew  language  with  the  corrupt  Jiidish  Deutsch.  But  Isaiah, 
David,  Ezekiel,  Amos,  were  living  voices  to  Wessely;  and  his  tones 
couched  in  their  language  aroused  a  genuine  revival.  It  began  to 
be  felt  that  the  Talmud  was  not  the  only  study  for  the  Israelite. 
The  poetical  muse  was  now  to  be  cultivated  anew,  and  both  in 
Hebrew  and  German  Jewish  minds  were  spurred  on  to  worthy 
rivalry. 

In  February,  1805,  Wessely  died  in  Hamburg,  in  very  needy 
circumstances,  eight}'  years  old.  His  whole  life  had  been  embittered 
by  poverty,  but  he  never  faltered  in  his  championship  of  Hebrew 
cultui-e  and  enlightenment.  He  was  gentle  and  modest  in  bearing, 
and  loved  his  fellow-men. 

It  is  suggestive  to  find  that  a  century  ago  Wessely,  in  his  "  Words 
of  Peace  and  Truth,"  addressed  to  his  Austrian  brethren  at  the  time 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


373 


of  the  decree  of  Joseph  If.,  gave  advice  which  can  be  reflected  upon 
with  profit  by  his  co-religionists  to-daj^  in  hinds  where  civil  and 
social  restrictions  have  petrified  the  Jew  or  converted  him  into  a 
wandering  Bedouin  in  life  and  morals.  Wessely  then  said  that  the 
great  mass  of  Israelites  in  Germany  and  Poland  were  wholly  ignor- 
ant of  a  proper  system  of  education.  The  grammar  of  the  holy 
language  was  entirely  unknown,  its  poetical  productions  were  closed 
to  them.  The  language  of  the  people  among  whom  they  lived  was 
similarly  neglected.  They  knew  little  or  nothing  of  science,  history, 
ethics.  It  was  jargon  and  chaos  with  which  they  were  familiarized; 
and  hence  the  ideals  of  Judaism  were  no  longer  cherished.  The 
age  demanded  riper  teachers  and  broader  instruction,  for  it  was  an 
age  of  dawning  toleration  and  liberty,  and  the  Jew  was  to  fit  himself 
for  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  not  be  satisfied  with  lingering 
SLijDerstitions. 

The  purer  his  faith,  the  higher  must  be  his  education.  A  century 
has  passed,  and  yet  there  are  several  millions  of  Jews  in  benighted 
lands  that  have  yet  to  learn  that  God  is  not  worshiped  in  a  bab- 
bling of  tongues,  and  that  if  their  Judaism  cannot  be  reconciled  with 
the  higher  thought  and  refinement,  the  noblest  efforts  and  achieve- 
ments of  a  later  age,  it  is  so  miich  the  worse  for  their  Judaism 
The  age  will  exist  and  endui-e  nevertheless.  J.  M. 


To  Synontmise — To  express  the  same  mean-  I      Bedouin— A  wandering  tribe  in  Arabia  who 
ing  in  ditterent  words.  live  in  tents. 


THE   HEAVENLY  LIGHT. 


When  Israel  to  the  wilderness 

Had  fled  from  Pharaoh's  cruel  might, 

The  Eternal  sent,  to  lead  them  on, 
A  cloud  by  day,  a  fire  by  night. 

And,  guided  by  that  heavenly  flame, 
That  beacon  from  Jehovah's  hand, 

The  chosen  people  safely  reached 

Their  destined  goal,    the    Promised 
Land. 

Yet  not  alone  in  days  of  yore 

Has  God  His  wondrous  mercy  shown, 
For  still  He  grants  to  all  mankind 

A  glorious  light  to  lead  them  on; 

A  lamp  of  radiant,  glowing  hue. 
By  Israel  borne  in  every  clime. 

Through  fire  and  flood,  through  tears 
and  blood. 
With  courage  grand  and  faith  sublime. 

PAET   II. — 18. 


When  all  the  world  was  steeped  in  sin, 
The   Hebrews   braved  the    nation's 
wrath 

And  nobly  followed  still  the  guide 
That  led  them  on  in  virtue's  path. 

That  beacon  is  the  Decalogue, 

Proclaimed     from     Sinai's     flaming 
height, 

And  burning^  as  each  age  rolls  by. 
With  purer,  grander,  holier  light. 

Oh,  glorious  flame !      Thy    sparkling 
beams 
With   radiant  splendor  shine  to-day, 
Nor    time,   nor    change,   nor    tyrant's 
power. 
Can  quench  or  dim  one  holy  rav. 

Oh,heavenly  lamp!  Thy  light  shall  shine 
Till  sin  and  hate  from  earth  depart, 


274  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Till  wrong  shall  fail  and  right  prevail,    That  we,  when   this  life's  storms   are- 

And  justice  rule  the  human  heart.        :         o'er, 

j     May  reach  with  joy  the  heavenly  land 
May  that  bright  beacon  guide  us  still, 

E'en  like  God's  own,  unerring  hand,  '  Max  Myerhardt. 


Decalogue— The  ten  Commandments  given  by  God  to  Moses. 


LAZARUS  BEND  AVID. 

[1762-1832  A.] 

About  forty  years  ago  one  could  daily  meet,  almost  at  the  same 
hour,  in  the  shady  walk,  "  Unter  den  Linden,"  in  BerUn,  a  man  of 
impressive  exterior,  taking  a  stroll  by  himself;  his  looks  always 
downcast,  and  seemingly  lost  in  deep  meditations.  He  was  of 
robust  but  short  stature,  dressed  on  aU  occasions  in  a  suit  of  gray, 
and  holding  his  hat  in  one  hand.  Rain  and  snow  played  unmerci- 
fully upon  the  bald  head,  and  the  wind  sported  with  the  few  gray 
curls  about  his  temples.  His  ajopearance  brought  everybody  to  an 
involuntary  standstill,  to  glance  at  the  venerable  old  man,  with  his 
high  forehead  and  aquihne  nose ;  while  the  Berlin  people,  to  whom 
he  was  known,  passed  him  respectfully,  for  they  considered  him  a 
great  genius.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Moses  Mendelssohn,  and  afterward 
became  a  noted  personage  in  Vienna,  where  his  lectures  and  the 
teaching  of  Kant  s  philosojohy  procured  him  many  admirers  and 
friends. 

The  name  of  this  Jewish  savant  and  philosopher  was  Lazarus 
Bendavid,  born  in  Berlin  on  the  18th  of  October,  1762.  His  father, 
David  Lazarus,  was  a  native  of  Brunswick,  and  his  mother  a  daugh- 
ter of  J.  Hirsch,  the  largest  velvet  manufacturer  in  the  Prussian 
States.  When  three  years  old  he  could  read  Hebrew  with  some 
fluency,  and  translated  a  number  of  Hebrew  and  French  words  into 
German,  His  mother,  a  higlily  accomplished  lady,  being  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  French  and  German,  became  his  first 
instructor,  and  in  his  sixth  year  a  Polish  Israelite  was  engaged  to 
teach  him  the  Hebrew  text  of  the  Bible,  and,  according  to  the  pre- 
vailing custom,  to  impart  to  him  a  knowledge  of  the  Talmud  as  well; 
but  this  tutor,  not  giving  entire  satisfaction,  was  soon  discharged, 
and  he  was  sent  to  his  grandfather,  a  man  of  talent,  with  whom  he 
remained  tiU  his  tenth  year.  By  this  time  his  father  had  procured 
him  another  teacher,  also  a  Pole,  who  was  well  liked,  possessing 
more  tact;  and  his  instruction  comprised  beside  the  Talmud,  Hebrew 
grammar  and  the  Aristotelian  logic  of  Maimuni,  of  which  Moses 
Mendelssohn  had  published  a  new  commentary  a  few  years  before. 
After  leaving  this  second  tutor  he  was  considered  a  very  fair  Tal- 
mudisfc,  besides  being  well  acquainted  with  the  original  text  of  the 
greatest  part  of  the  Bible,  as  well  as  possessing  some  knowledge  of 
the  Syrian  and  Arabic  languages;  he  was  also  well  versed  in  mathe- 


FOR  T^IIE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  375 

matics,  French  aud  Latin.  His  leisure  time  he  spent  in  playing  and 
reading,  never  satisfied  with  one  author,  or  keeping  to  one  and  the 
same  su))ject;  but,  without  guidance  or  choice,  he  read  indiscrimi- 
nately the  most  varied  books  of  his  father's  library,  such  as  Abulfeda 
and  the  Koran,  the  New  Testament  and  Eousseau's  Emil,  cabalistic 
and  medicinal  books,  G-erman  j^oets  and  Wolfs  metaphysics. 

But  who  would  believe  that  this  intelligent  boy,  scarcely  thirteen 
years  old,  all  at  once  would  turn  his  mind  to  business  ?  It  was,  of 
course,  done  without  the  knowledge  of  his  parents,  and  he  now 
employed  himself  in  selling  a  few  wares  from  morning  till  night. 
In  a  very  short  time  he  had  gained  many  customers,  and  was  in 
possession  of  ninety  dollars  profit.  What  wealth !  But  this  mode 
of  life  ended  rather  comically,  as  his  own  words  show : 

"I  went  one  morning,  a  boy  twelve  years  old,  of  morose  aspect, 
with  my  package  of  dry  goods  and  a  yard  measure  under  my  arm, 
along  Leipzig  street,  when  a  baker  called  me  into  his  shop,  inquir- 
ing of  me  whether  I  could  sell  him  any  good  velvet;  and  as  I  really- 
carried  some  of  first  rate  quality,  I  could  at  once  comply  with  his 
request.  He  then  wanted  to  know  how  long  a  pair  of  breeches 
made  of  that  material  would  last;  to  which  I  replied  that  it  entirely 
depended  upon  the  fact  whether  he  goes  often  on  horseback  or  not, 
and  in  the  latter  case  they  would  stu'ely  last  him  four  years.  '  What !' 
the  baker  exclaimed,  '  only  four  years !  A  pair  of  breeches  made  of 
good  velvet  ought  to  last  forever.'  This  m^ade  me  feel  vexed,  and 
being  acquainted  with  metaphysics  I  commenced  demonstrating 
to  him,  according  to  Wolf,  that  all  that  has  a  beginning  must  have 
an  end,  and  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  world  which  is  everlasting 
My  baker  listened  to  all  this  with  a  very  phlegmatic  air,  then  tooJc 
in  the  same  phlegmatic  manner  the  four  corners  of  the  wrapper 
which  contained  my  goods,  and  calling  out,  '  Nonsense  !  trickery 
he  shuffled  me  and  my  bimdle  out  of  doors,  where  I  had  the  trouble 
of  picking  up  my  things  in  the  greatest  confusion.  Nothing  can 
describe  the  effect  this  insult  made  upon  me;  and  sobbing  like  a 
child  I  ran  to  my  Polish  teacher,  related  to  him  what  happened,  and 
swore  never  to  venture  upon  any  kind  of  business  again." 

This  accident  caused  Bendavid  to  show  great  dislike  to  commer- 
cial pursuits,  and  he  accepted  a  bookkeeper's  place  with  one  of  his 
relatives.  Here  he  remained  about  a  year,  saving  a  few  hundred 
dollars,  and  then  resolved  upon  returning  to  his  studies  and  becom- 
ing a  man  of  letters.  With  the  zeal  of  a  dilettante  he  now  devoted 
himself  to  various  scientific  studies,  and  on  account  of  his  acuteness 
of  mind  it  was  mathematics  especially  which  occupied  his  attention. 
His  friend,  Marcus,  a  native  of  Hamburg,  who  was  then  studying 
mathematics  in  Berlin,  felt  astonished  at  his  rapid  progress;  for  in 
a  very  shc>rt  time  he  was  able,  without  a  teacher,  to  understand 
Euclid  from  beginning  to  end,  and  not  only  could  he  demonstrate 


276  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

€very  thesis  and  construe  every  lesson,  but  he  was  also  able  to  quote 
exactly  the  number  of  each  theme.  Marcus,  therefore,  took  him 
one  day  to  Lambert,  the  celebrated  mathematician,  and  after  under- 
going an  examination  and  hearing  that  he  acquired  all  without  a 
master,  this  kind  gentleman  lent  him  some  books,  and  assisted  him 
in  continuing  his  mathematical  studies.  Moses  Mendelssohn,  too, 
who  had  many  valuable  mathematical  works  in  his  library,  rendered 
him  assistance  in  sui:»plying  him  with  books  and  instruments.  But 
in  the  midst  of  his  mathematical  studies  he  became  acquainted  with 
a  Berlin  clergyman,  who  urged  upon  him  not  to  neglect  the  study 
of  philosophy,  and  he  began  to  read  with  him  Des  Cartes,  Locke 
and  Leibnitz.  He  owed  much  to  this  venerable  clergyman,  for  he 
was  the  first  who  systemized  his  chaotic  knowledge.  Besides  his 
scientific  studies,  to  which  he  applied  himself  assiduously  and  regu- 
larly from  five  in  the  morning  until  late  at  night,  he  now  bethought 
hiimself  of  learning  a  trade,  an  idea  which  his  friend,  the  clergyman, 
liad  sviggested,  in  order  to  procure  him  a  livelihood  in  case  of 
emergency,  especially  as,  on  account  of  being  a  Jew,  he  could  not 
hope  to  fill  any  public  situation. 

Like  Spinoza  he  resolved  ujDon  becoming  a  glass-cutter.  But 
where  to  obtain  a  master  was  the  next  question.  Moses  Mendelssohn, 
and  the  afterward  celebrated  ichthyologist.  Dr.  Bloch,  took  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  to  find  him  a  master,  in  which  they  at  length  suc- 
ceeded by  paying  a  certain  sum  of  money  for  his  apprenticeship. 
The  young  scholar  made  even  on  the  turning-lathe  great  progress, 
and  soon  acquired  a  perfect  knowledge  of  that  trade.  But  he  lacked 
the  requisite  i^atience,  and  once  more  he  returned  to  his  studies, 
whereby  he  forgot  aU  his  troubles,  for  he  also  had  to  struggle  with 
the  malice  of  fate,  as  his  j^arents  had  become  reduced  in  circum- 
stances. He  lost  his  mother  in  early  life,  and  he  had  now  to 
Und  means  to  support  his  aged  father  and  youngest  brother. 
AU  his  privations,  however,  only  promj^ted  him  to  make  stiU 
greater  efforts  in  his  studies.  He  commenced  with  special  pre- 
dilection to  study  physics  and  astronomy,  the  science  of  a  Herschel 
and  Bode,  and  for  that  purpose  he  budt  himself  an  observatory. 
In  March,  1785,  ^i^^-fer's  Berlin  Monthly,  a  periodical  to  which 
Mendelssohn,  Friedlander  and  Solomon  Maimon  were  contributors, 
published  his  first  treatise  on  the  subject,  "Are  the  seven  chief 
colors  the  simplest  ?"  it  being  addressed  to  his  friend  Marcus,  and 
a  year  later  he  wrote  upon  "parallel  Unes." 

He  soon  became  known  in  the  republic  of  letters,  and  the  aged 
Castilian  rejoiced  in  having  found  a  young  man  who  thoroughly 
understood  Euclid,  for  which  he  bestowed  great  praises  on  him, 
while  the  mathematician  Kastner,  in  Guttingen,  j)resented  him  with 
the  epigrammatic  testimonial  stating:  "Bendavid  knows  so  much 
mathematics  that  he  can  lay  claim  to  any  professorshij),  only  not 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  277 

to  mine,  as  long  as  I  am  living."     With  this  Kastner,  with  whom  he 
kept  up  a  constant  correspondence,  he  became  personally  acquainted 
a  year  later,  at  the  time  when  he  published  his  work  upon  "  Mathe- 
matical  Infinity,"  which  originated   from  the  lectures  he  then  de- 
livered in   Berlin.      As   companion  and   tutor   to   a  young  Dutch 
gentleman  who  was  studying  medicine  in  Gottingen,  he  soon  gained 
the  friendship  of  almost  all  the  professors,  and  besides  Kastner  he 
clung  especially  to  Lichtenberg,  with  whom  he  studied  physics,  but 
also  Michaelis,  Burgers,  Feders  and  others  befi-iended  him.     From 
there  he  went  to  Halle,  where  he  continued  his  studies,  and  became 
intimately  acquainted  with  Eberhard,  for  whose  archives  he  elab- 
orated the  "  Pi  inciples  of  Mathematics."    Under  Eberhard's  manage- 
ment the  philosophical  faculty  presented  him  with  the  honorable 
diploma  of  a  Ph.I).,  an  honor  which  Bendavid  accepted  in  a  very 
indifferent  manner.     He  returned  to  Berlin  and  was  engaged  with 
Eberhard  in  publishing  a  comprehensive  philosophical  work,  when 
all  at  once  his  j>hilosophical  convictions  took  such  an  opposite  turn 
to  those  of  his  fi'iend  that  they  became  more  divided  every  day, 
causing  the  work  which  both  in  common  had  commenced  to  be  dis- 
continued.    Bendavid  unexpectedly  appeared  now  as  the  apostle  of 
Kant's  philosophy,  which  had  taken  such  effect  upon  him  that  he  is 
considered,  even  to  this  day,  one  of  the  earliest  who  elaborated  the 
philosophy  of  the  great  German.     Full  of  ardor  for  the  new  philos- 
ophy of  Kant,  he  went  to  Vienna,  where  he  expected  to  find  sensi- 
tive'minds  for  the  reception  of  his  philosophic  views,  and  in  this  he 
was  not  disappointed.     Here  it  was  where  his  impassioned  readings 
met  with  the  greatest  success,  where  hundreds,  composed   of  all 
classes,  assembled  in  his  lecture  rooms,  and  where  he  for  the  first 
time  received  that  rare  pleasure  of  instilling  knowledge  in  a  people 
desirous  of  knowledge.     Soon  his  public  readings  were  interrupted, 
as  numerous  demands  for  jirivate  lectures  were  made  upon  him, 
and  the  most  eminent  men  could  be  found  among  his  pupils.     His 
criticisms  on  plain  reason,  on  the  faculty  of  judgment,  on  practical 
reason,  on  the  metaphysical  rudiments  of  the  sciences,  on  natiu'e, 
and  on  the  science  of  law^,  he  published  in  quick  succession  for  the 
use  of  his  audience,  while  there  was  also  no  lack  of  some  independ- 
ent  philosophical   works.      At   the  country  seat  of  a  friend,  who 
resided  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Vienna,  he  wi-ote,  during  the  summer  of  1793,  his  work,  "Essay  on 
Pleasure,"  in  two  volumes,  one  of  which  he  dedicated  to  his  friend 
Kastner,  and  the  other  to  Aulic  Counselor  Herz,  in  Berlin.     Ben- 
david had  now  become  the  fashion  in  Vienna;  he  was  surrounded 
by  the  most  emirent  and  learned  men  of  the  place,  such  as  Baron 
von  Retzer,  the  noble  Count  of  Harrach,  "whose  mind  was  stocked 
with  knowledge,    and    heart  filled   with  humanity."     The   Prince 
Lichnowsky   and  many   merchants   of  the   highest   standing  were 


278  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

among  his  pupils  ;  also  the  poet  Aixinger,  in  whose  monthly  his 
novel,  "Ferdinand  and  Madame  Weber,"  appeared;  the  jihilosopher, 
Michael  Wagner,  for  whose  "  Philosophic  Anthropology  "  he  wrote 
a  treatise,  and  numerous  others,  too,  with  whom  he  was  connected 
by  ties  of  the  most  sincere  and  intimate  fidendship. 

In  this  manner  Bendavid  very  pleasantly  spent  his  time,  but  the 
success  he  met  with  could  not  last  long  without  raising  a  few  oppo- 
nents, tome  of  the  professors  of  the  University  became  envious,  and 
taking  advantage  of  his  liberal  views,  or,  as  Bendavid  wittingly 
observed,  of  all  his  attributes  as  j)hilosophic-Kantish-Protestant- 
like  Prussian  Jew,  whom  the  government  already  suspected,  they 
succeeded  in  having  his  lectures  prohibited,  and  thus  his  lecture 
rooms  had  to  be  closed.  His  fiiend.  Count  von  Harrach,  imme- 
diately offered  him  a  large  haU  in  his  own  mansion,  where  he  con- 
tinued his  readings  for  some  time  longer.  Bixt  he  received  soon 
afterward  a  second  caution  from  a  high  state  official,  and  as  this 
warning  extended  to  some  of  his  friends,  owing  to  their  liberal 
views,  he  resolved  upon  leaving  Vienna  and  returning  to  Berlin. 
Aixiving  in  his  native  place,  he  continued  his  lectures  as  well  as  his 
Hterary  activity,  partly  in  works  of  his  own  composition  and  partly 
as  contributions  to  different  journals  of  the  day.  His  treatise, 
"Philotheos;  or,  the  Origin  of  oui'  Perception,'  was  crowned  by  the 
Berlin  Royal  Academy  of  Science  (181)2),  but  here  also  he  was  com- 
pelled to  discontinue  his  lectures,  because  they  encroached  upon  the 
rights  of  the  University. 

Nearly  thirty -live  years  he  passed  at  Berlin  in  the  society  of  num- 
erous fiiends  and  acquaintances.  He  was  never  married,  because 
he  stated  that  "  the  choice  between  simple  innocence  and  guilty 
prudence"  is  too  difficult  for  him.  To  be  independent  he  prized 
above  all  things,  and  in  the  epitaph  which  he  himself  had  ordered 
he  thanks  God  for  his  independency.  He  was,  however,  already  an 
aged  man  before  he  succeeded  in  becoming  exempt  from  care.  He 
had  employed  many  ways  to  obtain  a  livelihood;  for  some  time  he 
was  occupied  as  secretary  to  the  Royal  Widow  Fund;  then,  during 
the  French  rule,  he  became  editor  of  the  Hands  and  Spener  ZeMung  ; 
he  also  gave  instruction  in  mathematics,  and  among  his  numerous 
pupils  was  the  afterward  celebrated  Borne. 

His  constant  watchword  was  humanity,  and  nothing  but  hu- 
manity; enlightenment,  and  nothing  but  enlightenment;  like 
most  of  the  disciples  of  the  immortal  Mendelssohn,  such  as  Fried- 
lander,  Euchel,  Linder  and  others.  He  attended  regu^larly  the 
Sabbath  meetings,  which  were  held  at  the  house  of  Mendelssohn, 
from  which  those  men  sprung  who  thought  with  the  master,  or  at 
least  through  him  only.  They  were,  as  Bendavid  styled  them,  "  the 
retailers  of  the  wares  which  they  purchased  at  wholesale  in  the  so- 
ciety of  Mendelssohn."    But  these  "retailers"  were  not  satisfied  with 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  279 

a  small  profit,  and  wisliin<:^-  to  become  rich  all  at  once,  made  such  an 
onset  upon  their  co-religionists  that  enlightenment  received  a  check 
and  lost  much  of  its  strength.  These  few  words,  we  believe,  will 
show  Bendavid's  religious  worth.  We  have  had  enough  of  that 
superficial  humanity,  tliat  false,  all -denying  liberty,  which,  as  Riesser 
once  observed,  "  upsets  the  support  as  well  as  the  edifice." 

Bendavid,  indeed,  received  no  jiroper  religious  training  fi"om  his 
parents,  and  yet,  after  passing  the  day  of  confirmation  when  thirteen 
years  old,  he  became  almost  a  pious  man;  offering  up  his  daily 
jirayers  with  great  devotion,  and  with  the  resignation  of  a  fanatic 
he  strictly  adhered  to  all  festivals  and  fast  days.  But  his  fanaticism 
soon  cooled  down,  and  scarcely  had  he  reached  his  fifteenth  year  when 
he  gave  u,p  all  positiveness,  while  the  belief  in  God,  the  immortality 
of  the  soul  and  a  futvire  state  he  still  clung  to,  and  which  his  "Moral 
Proofs  of  the  Existence  of  God"  sufficiently  corroborate.  Yet  he 
never  deserted  his  co-religionists,  for  his  character,  which  had  its 
point  of  gravity  in  the  love  of  truth,  was  incapable  of  any  kind  of 
hypocrisy.  If  he  ceased  to  take  active  part  in  their  religious  worship 
his  interest  in  his  oppressed  brethren  never  rested,  and  he  became 
their  reformer  and  defender,  even  when  twenty  years  old.  His  father 
died  about  this  time,  and  as  it  was  his  sole  desire  to  labor  for  the 
interest  and  welfare  of  his  co-religionists,  he  thought  it  also  his  duty 
that  he  should  conform  to  their  rules,  even  if  it  were  outwardly.  So 
he  attended  the  synagogue,  in  order  to  say  the  usual  prayers  for  his 
father's  soul,  according  to  Jewish  custom.  For  two  days  he  read 
the  prayers  before  the  congregation,  but  on  the  third  a  deputation 
informed  him  that  on  account  of  his  having  violated  publicly  four 
ceremonial  laws,  which  they  named  to  him,  they  thought  it  not  right 
to  give  him  permission  to  be  their  reader,  and  that  he  should  content 
himself  with  saying  the  Kadish  to  himself.  He  asked  the  deputa- 
tion whether  they  considered  him  as  belonging  to  them,  or  whether 
they  excluded  him  altogether  fi'om  the  congregation.  They  replied: 
"God  forbid  that  we  should  think  so;  but  — "  "Very  well,  I  know 
what  that  '  but '  is  intended  for,"  he  answered.  "  They  renounce  my 
society.  All  right.  I  give  them  warning  too,"  and,  putting  his 
tephilin  together,  he  departed,  never  again  to  enter  their  syna- 
gogue. 

This  breach  was  the  principal  cause  why  he  afterward  discontinued 
living  according  to  certain  prescribed  formulas,  yet  his  excellent 
moral  and  religious  character  never  left  him.  During  his  residence 
in  Vienna,  when  the  Emperor  Josej)!!  commenced  his  great  work  of 
emancipation  and  reform,  of  which  the  Jews,  too,  came  in  for  a 
share,  Bendavid  immediately  urged  upon  his  co-rehgionists  not  to 
be  idle  in  accomplishing  their  own  emancipation,  and  to  this  effect 
he  published  "Something  on  the  Characteristics  of  the  Jews," 
wherein  he  proves  that  the  real  faults  of  his  co-religionists  originated 


280  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

from  their  oppressed  state,  and  are  the  mere  faults  of  slavery.  This, 
pamphlet  brought  him  many  enemies,  his  motive  being  misunder- 
stood, and  he  was  ordered  to  appear  before  Cardinal  Migazzi,  wha 
addressed  him  in  Latin,  in  the  language  of  a  Grand  Inquisitor. 
Bend  avid  denied  that  his  writings  had  any  reference  to  the  Christian 
religion,  and  proved  him  that  the  entire  accusation  rested  upon  some 
misunderstanding;  whereui^on  the  Cardinal  dismissed  him. 

His  next  publication,  "  Inquiries  into  the  Pentateuch,"  received 
no  better  reception  then  his  "Characteristics, '  and  he  was  obliged 
to  give  up  the  idea  of  publishing  the  w^hole  in  a  complete  form. 
B3ing  the  secretary  of  the  Philomathic  Society,  he  delivered  alecture 
before  that  institution  on  the  2d  of  January,  1812,  which,  from  its 
tone,    caused  such   excitement  among   Jews   and   Christians,  that 
Bendavid  states,  in  his  preface  to  the  published  lecture,  "These 
gentlemen  would  have  liked  to  kindle  with  their  heat  a  little  funeral 
pile,  in  order  to  roast  me  for  the  honor  of  God,  if  they  only  had  one 
to  dispose  of."     To  ajopease  the  public  he  next  published  "  The  Re- 
ligion of  the  Hebrews  before  Moses,"  and  it  is  doubtful  whether,  in 
doing  so,  he  did  not  rather  pour  oil  upon  the  flame.     After  this  his 
treatise  upon  "The  Written  and  Cral  Law"  followed;    also,  "The 
Belief  of  the  Jews  in  a  Future  Messiah, '  as  well  as  "A  Calculation 
and  History  of  the  Jewish  Calendar,"  besides  several  other  similar 
works.     But  more  imjDortant  than  this  side  of  his  activity  was  his 
practical  zeal  for  schools  and  all  educational  establishments.     He 
was  director  of   the   "Society  of   Friends  of  Humanity,''  and  his 
lectures  before  that  body  upon  "  The  Instruction  of  the  Jews"  are  a 
masterpiece  of  pedagogical  science.     In  1806  he  undertook  the  super- 
intending of  the  Berlin  Jewish  free  school,  estabhshed  thirtj'  years 
previously  by  David  Friedlander  and  his  rich  brother-in-law,  Isaac 
Daniel  Itzig,  a  brother  of  the  renowned  Baroness  Fanny  von  Arn- 
stein,  of  Vienna.     For  twenty  years  he  managed  this  charity  in  the 
most  disinterested  manner.     Although  he  had  many  difficulties  to 
contend  with,  he  spared  no  sacrifice  as  long  as  he  could  only  keep 
the  institution  in  its  proper  state,  which,  owing  to  his  exei-tions^ 
continued  to  exist  under   the  most  favorable  circumstances  even 
after  his  death. 

Bendavid  died  on  the  24tli  of  March,  1882.  He  was  about 
seventy  years  old,  and  his  tombstone  contains  the  following  inscrip- 
tion, composed  by  himself:  "My  name  was  P]lieser  Lazarus  Ben- 
david; God  was  my  helj),  granting  unto  me  indejDendence,  which  I 
aspired  after.     Blessed  be  the  name  of  God."         M.  Kaysekling. 

Dr.  Kayserling,  Rabbi  in  Pesth  (Hungary),  an  eminent  scholar  and  author  of  various  very- 
important  historical  and  theological  works. 

Savant— A  man  of  learning.  j      Ichthyologist — The  doctrine  of  the  nature 

lNDiscEiMiNATf;LY— Without  distinction.  of  a  fish. 

Phlegmatic — Dull,  cold.  Epigbammatic — Belonging  to  epigrams;    a 

Dilettante — One  who  delights  in  promot-    short  poem  terminating  in  a  point, 
ing  science,  or  the  fine  arts.  Infinity— Immensity. 

Thesis— Something  laid  down  affirmatively  I      Philomathic — Pertaining   to    the    love    of 
or  negatively.  learning. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  281: 


"  Why  prayest  thou  not?"  said  Rabbi 
Tarphon  once, 

As  thunders  rolled  across  the  eastern 
heights, 

And  lightnings  flashed  above.  "  Re- 
peat the  prayer, 

And  bless  the  God  who  rules  the  thun- 
dercloud." 

But  quick  the  Rabbi  Jacob  made  reply 


THE  RABBI'S   BLESSING. 

In  thunder  is  no  greater  miracle 
Than  in  the  dew-drop  or  the  opening 

bud. 
Or  in    an   infant's   upturned  laughing 

eyes. 
When  lightning  flashes,  bless  God,  if 

it  please; 
But  silence  not  a  benediction  brief 
When  thou  shalt  see,  not  transient  as  a 


"  Pray,  brother,  if  thou  wiliest,  I  save  star, 

Which  shoots  across  the  desert  of  the 

skies, 
But  steady  as  an  everlasting  sun. 


my  prayer 

When  noble  deeds  resound,  and  sim- 
ple truth 

Doth  in  ray  neighbor's  conduct  vivid 
shine; 

Then  praise  I  God  for  having  made  it 
so. 


The   light  of  noble   purpose  crowning 

men, 
And  making  human  life  the  happier." 

J.  M. 


MOSES  MENDELSSOHN. 

[1729-1786  A.] 
At  the  commencement  of   the  eighteenth  centiir^y  there  Hved  at 
Dessau  a  so-called  Sopher  (scribe)  and  schoolmaster,  Mendel  by- 
name, an  extremely  poor  but  upright  man,  to  whom  in  September, 
1729,  a  son  was  born,  who  received'the  name  of  Moses.  In  the  abject 
poverty  of  his  parents,  the  chief  object  they  aimed  at  was  to  procure 
for  themselves  and  children  the  necessaries  of  life.     The  father,  how- 
ever, did  not  neglect  his  duty  in  a  Si^iritual  point  of  view,  and  did  his 
utmost,  as  far  as  his  limited  knowledge  would  allow  him,  to  advance 
the  education  of  his  son.     He  instructed  him  in  Hebrew  and  the 
Talmud,  and  whatever  the  customary  education  of  those  times  re- 
quired;   but,  withovit  being  aware  of  it,  he  improved  hourly  his 
power  of  mind  by  every  object  that  came  under  his  notice.    -The 
deep   impression   which    everything   that   was   sublime,   beautiful 
and  good  made  upon  his  susceptible  mind,  caused  the  writings  of 
the  Old  Testament,  especially  the  poetical  portion  thereof,  that  grand 
and  striking  picture,  never  failed  to  influence  his  unprejudiced  youth- 
ful heart.     Moses  was  irresistibly  atti-acted  by  all  the  writings  of  the 
Old  Testament,  especially  the  Psalms,  which  was  the  chief  cause  of 
bis  soon  making  an  attempt  at  j)oetry.     But  the  germinating  incli- 
nation for  poetry  was  soon  suppressed  by  his  j^roneness  for  penetra- 
tive inquiries,  which  developed  itself  in  him,  and  induced  him  to 
destroy  his  poetic  undertakings.     This  inclination  showed  itself  in 
our  Moses  already  in  his  youth,  when  all  at  once  a  lucky  chance 
threw  into  his  hands  the  writings  of  Maimonides.     His  "  Guide  for 
the  Perplexed  "  soon  became  the  favorite  book  of  the  aspiring  youth. 
In  later  times  he  always  called  it  the  source  of  all  his  learning,  but 
he  was  also  obliged  to  confess  that  it  was  the  source   of  his  illness. 


382  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

for  it  was  no  doubt  the  excessive  diligence  and  the  incessant  thirst 
after  knowledge,  with  which  he  continually  read  this  book,  that  ulti- 
mately brought  on  a  severe  nervous  disease,  fi*om  which,  although  a 
recovery  was  effected,  he  subsequently  suffered  fi'om  a  deformed 
spine,  and  undoubtedly  caused  his  early  death.  He  sometimes  said: 
"  I  must  attribute  it  to  Maimonicles  that  my  body  has  become  so  de- 
formed; he  alone  is  the  cause,  biit  I  love  him  nevertheless,  for  he 
has  cheered  me  up  in  my  bitter  hours,  and  has  thus  amply  repaid 
that  which  he  deprived  me  of  unintentionally."  But  the  lot  of  a 
poor  Jewish  boy  of  his  time,  which  he  had  to  share  in  being  obliged 
for  the  sake  of  a  livelihood  to  hawk  a  few  wares,  also  made  his  life 
a  great  hardship,  for  he  thus  lost  the  whole  of  the  day  in  this  occu- 
pation, and  compeUing  him  to  make  use  of  the  night  for  study,  so 
that  very  often  he  only  extinguished  his  lamp  when  already  the  dawn 
of  morning  began  to  apjjear  in  his  miserable  chamber. 

Mendelssohn  remained  with  his  parents  till  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  but  as  he  had  not  the  least  desire  to  spend  his  life  as  a  ped- 
dler, which  was  his  daily  occuj)ation  as  long  as  he  stayed  at  home, 
he  of  himself  proj)osed  to  his  parents  to  try  his  luck  at  some  other 
place.  With  feelings  of  the  utmost  pain  and  grief  they  at  length 
consented,  coming  at  the  same  time  to  the  conclusion  that  their  son 
would  never  find  an  opportunity  in  his  native  place  to  see  his  ardent 
desires  for  furthering  his  studies  fulfilled.  After  a  great  deal  of 
consideration  they  resolved  upon  sending  him  to  Berlin,  on  account 
of  the  many  acquaintances  who,  in  matters  of  business,  continually 
visited  that  place,  and  trusting  that  some  one  might  probably  take 
an  interest  in  him  and  find  him  employment.  He  then  left  his  home 
and  arrived  at  Berlin  in  the  utmost  2ioverty,  unacquainted  vnth  the 
world,  and  the  acquirements  and  j^retensions  of  life ;  besides  being 
quite  uncertain  whether  he  should  find  here  any  favor  among 
strangers,  or  be  enabled  to  satisfy  his  thirst  after  knowledge ;  while 
a  still  greater  obstacle  was  his  debilitated  body,  which  made  his 
situation  the  more  deplorable,  for  who  indeed  would  take  j)ity  on  a 
strange,  poor,  sickly  Jewish  boy,  in  order  to  open  for  him  a  j)ath  to 
knowledge  ? 

Confidence  in  an  all-wise  Providence,  together  with  a  true  and 
j)roper  exertion  of  all  faculties,  will  never  disappoint.  Mendelssohn 
was  aware  of  this,  and  his  persistent  desire  after  knowledge  inspired 
him  with  hope  that  somebody  would  take  -pitj  on  him;  thus  he 
soon  found  a  kind  and  benevolent  Israelite,  who  took  the  poor 
lost  boy  under  his  roof,  where  he  gave  him  an  attic  to  live  in,  and 
allowed  him  also  to  dine  at  his  table  a  few  times  every  week.  For 
the  moment  he  was  now  right  and  safe,  and  his  first  step  was  to  em- 
brace every  opportunity  for  the  attainment  of  knowledge.  Being 
one  day  informed  that  the  chief  Rabbi  Frankel,  of  Berlin,  was  the 
same  who  formerly  at  Dessau  was  on  intimate  terms  with  his  parents. 


FOR  THE  USP]  OP  ISRAELITES.  283 

lie  overcame  his  natural  tiuiidity  and  went  at  once  to  tliis  man,  who 
immediately  gave  him  a  very  kind  reception,  and  after  inquiring  into 
his  capacities,  promised  him  that  he  would  do  his  utmost  in  helping 
him  to  forward  his  views.  He  kept  his  promise,  for  he  soon  pro- 
cured him  an  opportunity  to  study  the  Talmud  in  a  clear  and 
thorough  manner,  and,  in  order  to  assist  him  in  a  temporal  way,  he 
gave  him  all  his  manuscripts  to  cop3%  wdiereby  Moses  earned  now 
and  then  a  trilling  sum,  which  enabled  him  at  least  to  procure  the 
most  necessary  requisites — they  were  indeed  the  most  urgent,  for 
he  but  very  seldom  got  any  further  than  procui'ing  for  himself  a  sup- 
ply of  dry  bread,  and  even  this  he  had  to  use  wdtli  great  economy, 
for  which  purjDose  he  generally  marked  his  bread  as  soon  as  he 
bought  it,  in  order  to  make  it  last  a  certain  number  of  days.  About 
this  time  he  had  the  fortune  to  meet  with  a  certain  Israel  Moses,  fi-om 
Starizamose,  a  small  place  in  Poland,  between  Krakau  and  Lemberg, 
in  Galicia,  who  was  then  a  Jewish  schoolmaster  in  BerHn.  This  man 
was  quite  as  j30or  as  himself,  but  he,  in  the  same  manner,  struggled 
hard  against  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  in  order  to  search  those 
truths  which  stimulate  the  mind  of  man.  He  also  had  studied 
Maimonides  w4th  great  zeal,  and  conversed  with  his  young  friend 
according  to  the  principles  laid  down  by  Maimonides.  He  gave  him 
a  Hebrew^  translation  of  Euclid,  which  soon  stirred  up  an  impulse 
for  mathematics,  causing  the  mind  of  the  youth  to  become  more 
acute  and  cultivated.  A  young  doctor  of  medicine  from  Prague, 
Kisch  by  name,  advised  him  to  study  first,  Latin,  otherwise  he  would 
not  be  able  to  read  the  most  important  modern  books.  It  took  him 
a  long  time  to  save  up  a  sufiicieut  sum  to  buy  a  second-hand  gram- 
mar and  lexicon.  Kisch  gave  him  daily  during  six  months  lessons 
in  Latin,  and  in  a  very  short  time  he  succeeded,  although  with  great 
exertions,  in  being  able  to  read  and  understand  Latin  authors.  About 
the  year  1748  Mendelssohn  became  acquainted  with  a  young  Jewish 
doctor,  Aron  Solomon  Gumperz  by  name,  a  man  possessed  of  great 
talent  and  having  an  excellent  knowledge  of  medicine,  mathematics, 
jihilosophy  and  the  modern  languages,  and  who  induced  him  to 
make  himself  acquainted  watli  modern  literature  as  well. 

In  this  manner  Mendelssohn  spent  his  time,  seeking  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  without  any  encouragement,  except  what  he  drew  from 
himself;  even  his  livelihood  was  still  a  very  precarious  one,  till  a  rich 
Jewish  silk  manufacturer,  Bernard,  took  him  into  his  house  as  tutor  to 
his  children,  and  finding  also  that  he  was  an  excellent  penman,  arith- 
metician and  bookkeeper,  a  talent  but  seldom  met  with  among  men  of 
learning,  he  apj^ointed  him  in  the  course  of  time  as  overseer,  then  he 
became  his  foreman,  and  at  length  partner  in  the  business.  During 
the  year  1754  Mendelssohn  became  acquainted  with  Lessing,  to 
whom  he  was  introduced  as  a  first-rate  chess  player.  This  ac- 
quaintance proved   the  principal  step  toward  the   comj^lete   culti- 


284  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

vation  of  his  genius  and  the  proper  application  of  his  rare  talents, 
Lessing  himself  was  thoroughly  master  of  all  the  sciences,  endowed 
with  extensive  reading  and  a  jDerfect  knowledge  of  historic  eru- 
dition. 

Up  to  this  period  Mendelssohn  had  never  yet  produced  an;yi;hing 
in  German;  but  being  urged  to  do  so  by  some  of  his  friends,  he  com- 
posed a  philosophical  dialogue,  which  Lessing  soon  ordered  to  be 
j)rinted.  He  also  joined  his  friends  in  their  efforts  to  cultivate  Ger- 
man literature,  and  he  thus  appeared  as  the  admired  German  author, 
'•to  whom  the  German  language  is  greatly  indebted  for  its  forma- 
tion and  dignity."  This  he  brought  to  light  by  the  publication  of 
his  chief  work,  Phaedon,  or  concerning  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
which  alone  is  sufficient  to  make  his  name,  as  long  as  the  German  lan- 
guage and  philosophy  will  remain  of  any  value,  to  be  kept  in  venera- 
tion. The  work,  as  soon  as  it  ajDpeared,  produced  such  a  surprise, 
that  in  a  few  years  it  was  translated  in  almost  all  European  lan- 
guages, and  fi"om  aU  sides  statesmen  and  men  of  learning,  theolo- 
gians and  warriors,  women  and  men,  flocked  to  Berlin,  in  order  ta 
make  the  acquaintance  of  the  author.  I\  either  his  learning  nor  his 
intercourse  with  non-Jewish  men  of  so  high  a  standing  could  induce 
Mendelssohn  to  deviate  in  the  least  from  his  paternal  religion,  to 
which  he  strictly  adhered  till  he  breathed  his  last;  although  there 
was  no  lack  of  allurements,  and  even  public  calls  made  iipon  him  to 
forsake  his  faith.  But  he  disdainfully  rejected  all  such  summonses, 
and  felt  so  vexed  about  it  that  he  became  ill  and  had  to  suffer  several 
years  in  consequence  thereof.  H  is  principal  aim  was  directed  toward 
educating  and  elevating  his  co-religionists,  and  thus  his  first  step  for 
accomplishing  his  object  consisted  in  the  improvement  of  all  Jewish 
scholastic  establishments.  Retranslated  the  Pentateuch  and  other 
Biblical  books  into  pure  German  for  the  use  of  Israelites,  and  wrote  in- 
terpretations to  the  same,  or  induced  his  friends  under  his  immediate 
guidance  to  do  so.  As  one  of  the  most  faithful  co-workers  in  all 
these  excellent  exertions,  the  pious  and  talented  Hartwig  Wessely 
deserves  to  be  mentioned,  who  like  himself  took  a  heartfelt  interest 
in  all  matters  concerning  his  co-religionists. 

Mendelssohn  was  also  a  lasting  benefactor  to  his  nation,  in  that 
he  through  blameless  conduct  and  unshaken  uprightness  in  his  dis- 
tinguished position  destroyed  the  prejudice  so  much  spread  in  those 
times,  as  if  the  Jewish  character  were  not  at  aU  capable  of  these  vir- 
tues. On  the  day  when  his  funeral  took  place,  every  Jewish  business 
house  in  Berlin  was  closed,  which  was  generally  the  case  only  at  the 
buiial  of  a  chief  Rabbi;  being  thus  a  sure  proof  of  the  love  he  had 
gained  for  himself  among  his  nation,  who  could  not  show  their  respect 
for  one  of  their  most  eminent  teachers  in  a  more  suitable  manner 
than  in  the  way  they  had  chosen  on  this  mournful  occasion. 

Thus  we  find  that  for  centuries  the   persecution  of  the  Jews  did 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  285 

not  cease.  Fire  and  water,  sword  and  rack,  have,  indeed,  made 
great  havoc  in  their  ranks,  but  nothing  was  capable  of  destroying 
them.  They  were  treated  worse  than  cattle  in  order  to  wipe  out 
the  impression  of  divine  resemblance;  they  made  use  of  all  possible 
means  to  put  them  to  grief  intellectually;  to  extinguish  the  last 
spark  of  modesty  and  morality ;  and  at  length  they  had  recourse  to 
coercive  measures  to  induce  them  to  forsake  their  God  and  their 
divine  faith.  All  these  machinations,  however,  never  led  their  ene- 
mies to  the  object  they  had  in  view,  but  only  brought  upon  the 
unfortunate  Jew  the  most  awful  afflictions.  The  Jew,  confined  to 
his  Ghetto,  separated  fi'om  the  rest  of  mankind,  differed  from  all 
other  inhabitants  of  the  country  in  dress,  language  and  custom;  and 
as  recompense  for  his  daily  sufferings  he  found  consolation  in  his 
faith.  A  remedy  to  cu.re  the  evil  was  anxiously  looked  for,  but  in 
vain,  inasmiich  as  even  the  most  enlightened  minds  of  that  period 
were  full  of  prejudices  against  Jews  and  Judaism.  It  required, 
seemingly,  some  exertions  fi"om  within,  proceeding  fi'om  the  midst 
of  their  own  body,  that  should  bring  the  desired  succor  to  their 
forlorn  state.  This,  then,  was  only  realized  when  the  Mendelssohu- 
ian  era  set  in  and  instilled  fresh  life  into  Judaism.  But  although 
Mendelssohn  and  his  co-workers  labored  um-emittingly  for  more 
than  half  a  century  to  accomplish  the  great  and  difficult  task,  in 
seeing  their  brethren  emancipated  from  the  thraldom  which  beset 
them  on  all  sides,  they,  nevertheless,  succeeded  only  partly  in  their 
holy  cause.  The  commotions,  however,  which  the  year  1848  brought 
about  effected  their  complete  emancipation,  placing  them  in  their 
full  rights  as  citizens,  granting  them  civil  and  religious  liberty — a 
privilege  they  were  long  entitled  to.  A  reaction  now  and  then  took 
place,  but  it  was  merely  of  a  passing  nature;  and  time  has  ah-eady 
sufficiently  proved  that  the  just  laws  thus  estabhshed  have  carried 
rich  fruit  all  over  the  world  wherever  Jews  have  found  a  peaceable 
home. 

Jdd.  Ehrentempel. 


ELEGY  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  MOSES  MENDELSSOHN. 

Daek    torrent,    Death  !    thou    dismal  1  Rest,  weary  laborer,  rest;  thy  day  is 
stream  of  woe,  I        o'er; 


Wide  o'er  the  world  thy  turbid  waters 

flow; 
The   old,   the   yoving — ah  !   none    can 

flee  their  doom, 


Thy  ardent  soiil  shall  toil  on  earth  no 

more. 
Hear,    Israel    mourns ;    thy   orphan'd 

people  wail, 


A  second  Moses  hast  thou  claimed  to-    For,  like  the  prophet  with  his  stafE  of 

day,  old, 

And   borne  him  from   the   shores   of     Thy  right  hand  cleft  the  rocks,  and 

earth  away  —  |        from  their  hold 

To  God  the  soul,  the  dust  unto    the  1  Waters  of  wisdom  poured  that  ne'er 

tomb.  shall  fail. 


386 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Thy  mind  aspired,  whtre'er  the  mind 
dare  climb, 

To  all  that  is  ennobling  and  sublime; 

Thy  knowledge  .  was  as  gold  refined 
from  clay; 

The  truths  engraven  by  thy  pen  di- 
vine, 

The  words  that  flowed  forth  from  thy 
lips  benign, 

More  soft  than  oil,  than  honey  sweet 
were  they. 

The  tree  is  withered,  but  the  fruit  re- 
mains; 

Wrapped  in  the  scroll  of  deathless 
truth,  it  gains 

New,  brighter  fame  as  age  succeeds  to 
age. 

He  is  not  gone;  he  is  not  far  on  high, 

His  wisdom  is  the  firm,  enduring 
tie 

That  binds   us    ever  to  the  immortal 


The  great  beheld  in  awe  thy  works, 
which  shone 

Fair,  clear,  and  radiant  as  the  sapphire 
stone; 

As  in  a  golden  cup  the  sparkling  wine. 

Presumptuous  foes  in  shame  and  ter- 
ror fled 

When  thou  didst  pour  thy  vengeance 
on  their  head — 

Champion  of  Jacob,  victory  is  thine! 

Thy  light  dispelled  the  terrors  of  the 

tomb. 
Vanished  like  mist  the  cold  sepulchral 

gloom. 
As   a  dark   cloud   before   the    sun   it 

passed. 
"There  is  a  King,  a  God  alove  the 

skies, " 


The   doubter   echoed   back  with^'glad 

surprise. 
And  in  the  hours  of  morn  found  peace 

at  last. 

Yet  was  thy  trust  not  fixed  on  thee 

alone  ; 
"Faith  is  to  me,"  how  proudly  didst 

thou  own  ; 
And  faitti,  a  fadeless  garland,   decks 

thy  brow. 
Oh,  would  that  all  might  journey  thus 

below 
Securely  by  the  dark  abyss  of  woe, 
Of  God  and  man  beloved — ^beloved  as 

thou ! 

Praise  !  sevenfold  let  praise  to  thee  be 
given. 

Who  in  a  living  form  the  word  of 
heaven, 

The  sacred  word  of  life,  to  Israel  gave. 

Still  hadst  thou  labored  ;  yet  it  might 
not  be — 

The  swift-winged  angel  came  and  pil- 
lowed thee 

Among  the  slumberers  in  the  quiet 
grave. 

Sleep  in  thy  narrow  chamber,  sleep  in 
peace  ; 

Thy  bonds  have  fallen,  thy  earthly- 
sorrows  cease, 

To  realms  of  bliss  the  spirit  wings  its 
flight. 

But  when  the  sleepers  shall  arise 
again, 

Thou,  too,  wilt  come  with  "Songs  of 
David"  then, 

Servant  of  God  !  robed  in  celestial 
light. 

De.  Wesselt. 


FOR  TTTE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  28T 

PART  THIRD. 

SCIENTIFIC  AND  INSTRUCTIYE. 


"  Ein  Volk,  das  man  in  Feuer, 
Und  in  Wasser  bringt  hinein, 

Muss  Dir  wieder  tlieuer 

Gereinigt  von  der  Siinde  sein." 

JosT. 


PALESTINE. 

Desolate  and  sad  is  the  present  aspect  of  the  Promised  Land, 
but  the  past  and  the  future  make  it  remarkable  to  the  intelhgent 
of  all  nations,  and  to  the  Israelite  sacred.  On  its  soil  our  ancestors 
dwelt  for  centuries ;  on  its  soil  prophets  and  holy  singers  pro- 
claimed the  divine  words  of  revelation;  on  its  soil  thousands  of  our 
ancestry  met  a  heroic  death  in  defence  of  their  faith;  upon  one  of 
its  mountains  there  twice  stood  a  holj'  temple  full  of  God's  glory 
and  splendor,  and  to  which,  once  more,  all  nations  shall  flock  on 
some  future  day. 

By  Canaan,  the  name  mostly  used  in  Holy  Writ,  is  understood 
that  part  of  Palestine  lying  westerly  from  .1  ordan,  including  Phoe- 
nicia and  Philistria;  while  easterly,  from  the  same  river,  the  land 
was  called  Gilead.  On  the  east  it  approached  also  the  lakes  of  the 
Jordan ;  toward  the  south  it  bordered  on  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  on  the  Iduma^an  mountains,  and  on  stony  Arabia  as 
far  as  the  Egyptian  brook;  in  the  north  the  Antelebanon.  and  in 
the  west  the  Mediterranean  Ocean  were  the  boundaries.  From  the 
northern  border  town  Dan,  at  the  foot  of  Antelebanon,  to  the  south- 
ern town,  Beer-Sheba,  the  distance  was  about  one  hundred  and 
eighty  English  miles,  while  the  width  measured  about  sixty  English 
miles. 

Palestine  is  a  mountainous  country.  In  the  north  we  find  Leb- 
anon and  Hermon,  two  far-extending,  lofty  and  closely-connected 
mountains,  with  vast  piled-up  summits;  the  former  rising  rapidly 
from  the  seashore  till  it  reaches  a  height  of  nearly  nine  thousand 
feet,  and  celebrated  for  its  cedar  forests  and  the  uncommon  fertil- 
ity of  its  slopes  and  valleys — the  picture  of  all  that  is  grand  and 
beautifrd,  sublime  and  commanding.     Hermon  is   even  a  hiuidred 


288  SCHOOL  AxND  FAMILY  READER 

feet  higher  than  Lebanon,  and  rises  solitary  amid  a  chain  of  low 
mountains;  it  is  the  far-visible  snowy  landmark  of  Syria,  and  looks 
down  like  a  venerable  old  man,  the  head  wrapped  in  a  snow  turban, 
in  majestic  tranquility  upon  the  country  around.  Mount  Carmel 
(fruit  field)  is  a  continuation  of  Mount  Lebanon,  sloping  toward  the 
Mediterranean.  Ui^on  the  mountains  rivulets  spring  forth,  which, 
with  their  crystal-clear  water,  irrigate  a  whole  world  of  vegetation, 
and  also  aj^pease  the  thirst  of  the  wanderer,  who  is  glad  to  repose 
here.  The  solitarily-jolaced  Tabor,  five  hours  southerly  from  Car- 
mel, rises  to  a  height  of  three  thousand  feet,  and  its  flattened  top 
of  half  an  hour's  circuit  offers  a  splendid  prospect  over  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  country.  The  mountain  Ei:)hraim,  or  Jisreel,  extending 
as  far  as  Jerusalem,  includes  the  mountains  Zalmon,  Grerisim,  Ebal, 
Shomron,  Gaasli  and  Zemarajim.  The  mountain -chain  Jehu  da, 
situated  southerly  from  Mount  Ephraim,  between  the  Dead  and 
Mediterranean  Seas,  is  a  fruitful  landscape,  and  has  many  caves, 
which  in  time  of  war  served  the  oppressed  as  a  place  of  refuge. 
Pcirt  of  this  mountain-chain  includes  the  Mount  of  Olives,  half  an 
hour  from  Jerusalem.  To  the  east  of  Jordan  is  the  mountain-chain 
Gilead. 

But  the  country  has  also  severtil  extensive  plains.  The  plain  of 
Jisreel,  or  Esdrelon,  so  called  from  the  town  Jisreel,  extending  fi-om 
Mount  Carmel  to  the  Jordan,  where  it  leaves  Lake  Genezaret,  and, 
dividing  the  mountain  chain,  borders  in  the  north  on  the  Gallilean, 
and  in  the  south  on  the  Ephramitic  mountains;  it  is  irrigated  by 
the  waters  of  Kishon,  and  celebrated  for  the  battles  fought  thereon. 
At  present  it  is  called  Merdsh  ebn  Ameri,  and  is  four  hours  long 
and  eight  hours  wide.  Along  the  Mediterranean,  fi'om  Carmel  to 
the  Egyptian  brook,  extends  a  j)lain,  of  which  the  northern  part, 
fi'om  Carmel  to  Joppa,  was  called  Charon;  its  beauty  and  fertility 
is  often  praised;  low,  rocky  flats  and  sandy  downs  intervene,  having 
excellent  vineyards,  adorned  with  white  and  red  roses,  daffodils, 
lilacs,  beautiful  lilies  and  odoriferous  evergreens.  The  southern 
part  is  called  Shephela,  a  low-lying  land,  which  is  but  of  little  fertil- 
ity. The  Jordan  meadow,  now  called  El-gour,  is  in  extent  twenty- 
five  hours  long  from  Lake  Genezaret  to  the  Dead  Sea;  it  is  at 
present  very  l)arren,  surrounded  by  mountains,  decreasing  gradu- 
ally in  size  till  they  reach  Jericho,  where  they  recede  more,  and  the 
vaUey  becomes  a  wide,  fertile  plain,  noted  for  its  palm  and  olive 
trees,  balsam  and  rose  bushes. 

Real  deserts,  or  any  tracts  of  land  untenable  for  men  and  refus- 
ing all  cultivation,  could  not  be  met  with  in  Palestine.  Those 
deserts  mentioned  in  Holy  Writ — for  instance,  Jehuda,  Tekoa  En- 
gedi,  Beer-Sheba — are  such  parts  which  never  received  any  culture, 
but,  on  account  of  the  quantity  of  grazing  land  they  produced,  made 
excellent  pasturage. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  289 

At  tlie  time  when  the  eye  of  God  still  looked  down  upon  Israel's 
inheritance  in  merev,  it  was  a  land  well  irrigated;  springs  and 
brooks  bubbled  forth  from  hills  and  valleys;  but  now  it  is  badly 
supplied  with  water.  The  Jordan  (flowing  downward)  is  the  (thief 
river  of  the  country.  It  takes  its  source  from  several  rivulets, 
which,  with  its  principal  spring,  at  the  southern  declivity  of  Mount 
Hermon,  stand  in  subterraneous  connection  in  Lake  Phialy.  After 
its  outlet  from  Lake  Phialy,  it  disappears  under  ground  and  iirns 
thus  for  thi'ee  miles,  till  it  appears  again  by  Paneas  or  Csesarea 
PbiUipi  with  great  noise,  and  forms  Lake  Merom.  This,  however,  is 
more  like  a  morass  than  a  lake,  and  is  now  called  Bahrakel  Huhlel. 
The  Jordan  receives  its  chief  sui^jjly  from  the  snow  of  Lebanon, 
on  account  of  which  ii^  generally  overflows  in  spring,  and  especially 
in  March  and  April.  After  leaving  Lake  M  erom  it  takes  its  course 
rapidly  thi'ough  a  mountain  pass  into  Lake  Cineret  or  Genesaret. 
This  pleasant  lake,  also  called  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  or  Lake  Tiberias, 
is  three  miles  long  and  nearly  one  and  a  haK  wide.  It  forms  one  of 
the  most  charming  parts  of  the  Promised  Land.  The  oval  mirror 
of  its  dark-blue  waters  glances  clear  and  brightly  tlu'ovigh  the  moun- 
tains, and  thus  the  fanciful  Oriental  called  it  "The  Eye  of  the  Coun- 
try." On  the  south,  as  well  as  north,  it  borders  on  fertile  valleys; 
but  in  the  east  and  west  it  is  surrounded  by  hillocks  and  mountains 
of  beautiful  formation.  From  their  steep,  picturesque  cavities 
spring  forth  rivulets  in  all  directions,  which  flow  into  the  basin  of 
the  "Sea  of  Galilee."  Sometimes  sudden  draughts  of  air  and  whirl- 
winds will  break  forth  from  these  mountains,  setting  the  peaceable 
waters  in  wild  commotion,  resembling  almost  the  force  occasioned 
by  the  weU-known  "  Foehns  "  of  Switzerland.  The  quantity  of  ex- 
cellent fish  found  in  the  Galilean  Sea  is  enormous,  and  the  water  is 
pure,  cool  and  sweet;  while  the  bottom,  like  the  shore,  consists  of 
fine  sand.  The  climate  and  soil  of  the  surrounding  landscaj)es  are 
favorable  to  all  kinds  of  fniit  of  the  South,  such  as  dates,  citrons, 
pomegranates,  grapes  and  melons,  as  well  as  for  the  culture  of  corn 
and  indigo;  and,  by  greater  human  exertions,  the  deep  mountain 
basin  of  this  sea  would  become  a  natural  hothouse,  where  the  most 
magnificent  j^lants  of  Egypt,  and  even  of  Arabia,  would  prosper. 
Shrubs  and  thick  forests,  intermixed  with  cornfields,  sun-ound  the 
northwest  shore;  like  an  "Aurora  of  the  deep,"  flows  the  rose-col- 
ored sea  of  blossoms  of  oleander  trees  over  hill  and  valley.  From 
the  bushes  the  song  of  thrushes  and  nightingales  resound;  and  fi'om 
caves  of  the  rocks  of  Magdala  is  heard  the  voice  of  w^ild  doves, 
which  by  hundreds  fly  about,  making  a  rich  meal  of  the  prickly 
apple-like  finiit  of  the  lotus  trees,  here  very  numerous.  To  this 
blessed  valley  of  the  sea  there  flocked  formerly  a  large  concourse 
of  people  for  busy  intercourse.  Prosperous  cities  and  places  of 
industry,  with  magnificent  gardens,  fields  and  forests  of  fi'uit  trees 

Pabx  lit.— 19. 


290  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

which  bore  ripe  fruit  at  any  time  of  the  year,  surrounded  the  lake- 
in  beautiful  alternation,  like  the  costly  setting^  of  a  rich  jewel.  More 
than  one  thousand  two  hundred  fishermen  found  a  livelihood  here; 
three  hundi'ed  and  fifty  vessels— fishing  crafts,  traveling  boats,  pleas- 
ure gondolas,  and  ships  of  burden — crossed  this  water-mirror  in  all 
directions;  and  thus  it  became  a  common  place  for  commerce  to  aE 
neighboring  towns  and  villages.  But  now  this  magnificent  land- 
scape mourns  like  a  widow.  The  forests  and  vineyards  have  dis- 
appeared from  the  hillocks ;  palm,  fig  and  olive  trees  are  but  seldom 
met  with;  the  balsam  bush,  which  formerly  with  its  verdure  envi- 
roned the  sandy  and  gravelly  shore  of  the  lake,  are  nowhere  to  be 
found,  and,  instead  of  those  hundreds  of  vessels,  there  is  at  present 
only  now  and  then  a  solitary  boat  with  her  white  sail  to  be  seen 
passing  through  the  miiTor  of  the  quiet  waters,  in  order  to  fetch 
wood  from  the  eastern  coasts  of  Tiberias;  and,  in  place  of  the  fisher- 
man, the  pelican  carries  on  its  business  in  solitude. 

As  if  tarrying  in  its  course,  the  Jordan  flows  into  the  Dead  Sea, 
the  largest  of  the  seas  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  surrounded  by 
steep  mountain  walls  from  1,500  to  2,500  feet  in  height,  which  on  both 
sides  skii-t  the  shore,  and  especially  on  the  west,  with  their  deep  crev- 
ices and  narrow  passes,  presenting  a  very  gloomy  and  desolate  aspect; 
and  thus  the  valley-basin  is  sunk  1,337  feet  beneath  the  level  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  This  inhospitable  lake  is  four  to  five  hours 
wide,  and  about  twenty  hours  long  form  north  to  south,  and  has 
therefore,  on  account  of  being  exposed  to  the  cloudless  beams  of  a 
southerly  sun,  a  climate  and  vegetation  the  same  as  Egypt.  It  is 
nearly  to  half  its  contents  penetrated  with  salt,  and  therefore  the 
water  becomes  heavy,  quiet  and  scarcely  stirred  by  wind— a  perfect  pic- 
ture of  death;  and  at  the  same  time  it  has  a  bitter  taste  and  is  not 
transparent.  No  fish  nor  any  kind  of  water-animals  or  sea-plants 
can  exist  therein,  and  its  weight  prevents  man  from  sinking  in  it. 
Having  no  outlet,  the  water  evaporates  only  from  the  heat  of  the 
sun,  causing,  however,  no  unhealthfulness,  and  covers  thus  the  whole 
shore  with  a  salt  crust,  upon  which  no  green  plants  can  grow.  Only 
birds  of  prey,  doves  and  swallows  make  thefr  nests  upon  the  sur- 
rounding rocks  and  enliven  the  sad  wilderness.  On  the  west  side, 
nearly  in  the  midst  of  it,  lies  the  only  place,  Egedi,  at  the  foot  of  an 
unusually  steep  pass,  which  from  the  south  leads  in  zigzag  along  a 
steep  rock  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  where  a  beautiful  spring, 
which  being  once  well  supplied  with  j^alm  and  balsam  trees,  made  this 
place  a  splendid  oasis  in  the  midst  of  a  rocky  desert.  In  the  south- 
erly part  of  the  sea  a  small  peninsula  enters  from  the  east,  which  is 
two  hours  wide,  and  owing  to  this  circumstance  a  bay  is  formed  at 
the  south  end  of  the  shores,  which  are  easily  and  very  often  inun- 
dated. Here  was  once  the  valley  of  Siddim,  rich  in  water,  beautiful 
and  fertile  like  the  Garden  of  the  Lord  (1  Mos.  xiii:  10;  xiv:  3.},  with 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  291 

springs  of  a  resinous  substance,  which  are  still  to  be  found  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  (1  Mos.  xiv:  10)  ;  here  the  towns  of  Sodom, 
Amora,  Adma,  Leboin  and  Zoar  were  situated.  The  weather  in 
Palestine  is  less  changeable  than  with  us.  There  are  indeed  but 
two  seasons.  The  winter  begins  in  October  with  rain  (early  rain), 
and  in  December  and  January  changes  into  snow,  which  easily  melts 
away,  and  therevipon  till  the  middle  of  April  the  late  rain  follows.  The 
summer  from  the  end  of  April  is  noted  for  hot  weather,  gradually 
increasing,  a  clear  sky,  dryness  and  a  strong  night  dew.  The  regu- 
larity of  the  weather,  the  productive  soil  ( consisting  of  clay  and 
marl),  and  the  extraordinary  diligence  of  the  inhabitants,  made  Pal- 
estine exceedingly  fertile.  It  was  rich  in  garden  and  field  fruits,  in 
forests  containing  tare-binth  and  oak  trees,  in  excellent  pastures, 
especially  to  the  east  of  the  Jordan,  in  oil  and  vineyards;  and,  upon 
the  mountains,  in  balsam  plantations  ;  in  Gilead,  in  palms,  pomegran- 
ates, tigs  and  other  costly  fruit;  and  there  was  not  a  month  in  the  year 
which  was  without  new  fruit  and  flowers.  The  forests  contained 
quantities  of  eatable  game,  and  the  waters  abounded  with  fish.  In 
minerals  there  was  especially  found  limestone,  clay,  asphalt,  mineral 
salt  and  sulphur,  all  of  the  very  best  quality  ;  while  metals  in  general 
were  rather  scarce,  owing  to  the  art  of  mining  being  but  httle  carried 
on.  The  productiveness  of  Palestine,  although  sometimes  visited  by 
locusts,  earthquakes,  very  hot  east  winds  and  inundations,  was  the 
cause,  even  three  hundred  years  before  the  Israelites  took  possession, 
of  the  land  being  already  covered  with  towns  and  villages,  and  the 
population  also,  before  the  Israebtish  period,  was  very  large. 

But  at  present  the  traveler  finds  the  country  gloomy  and  disheai-t- 
ening.  Agriciilture,  in  less  populated  districts,  lacks  able  and  willing 
hands;  besides,  it  is  necessary  to  protect  each  harvest  against  the 
depredations  of  robbers.  Commerce  is  insignificant,  while  there  is 
great  want  of  public  roads,  bridges,  regular  mails  and  accommodation 
for  travelers.  The  ai'ts  and  sciences  are  not  in  the  least  fostered, 
trades  are  still  carried  on  in  the  olden  style,  and  but  few  modern 
improvements  can  be  met  with.  Splendid  ruins  put  one  in  mind  of 
the  fallen  greatness  of  former  times  ;  everywhere  you  behold,  instead 
of  the  great  bustle  which  in  times  past  prevailed  here,  nothing  but 
desolation  and  dullness.  But  the  day  will  come  when  in  the  towns  of 
Judah,  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  the  voice  of  gladness  and  joy 
shall  be  heard  again,  and  the  desolate  road  to  Zion  will  become  lively 
from  pilgrims  singing  new  songs  unto  the  Eternal.  L.  Stern. 


MONTE  PIOEE. 


Oh,  champion  in  thy  Kentish  home. 

Girt  by  the  rushing  sea, 
Which  rolls  to  every  clime  on  earth, 

Glad  praises  sung  of  thee. 


We  dwellers  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 
Three  thousand  miles  apart. 

O'er  breeze  and  billow  reach  across 
The  offering  of  our  heart. 


392 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


We  weave  for  thee  no  chaplet  rare, 

No  lofty  hymn  we  raise; 
Thou  claimest  not  the  laurel-crown, 

Thou  seekest  not  our  praise. 

Let  kings  and  statesmen  on  this  day. 
Their  greetings  send  to  thee. 

From  Europe,  Asia,  Afrie's  shores 
A  glad  fraternity. 

We,  dwellers  on  American  soil, 

Fling  flowers  at  thy  feet, 
Culled  from  the  gardens  of  our  heart?. 

With  love's  own  fragrance  sweet. 

The  rapid  years  upon  thy  head 
Have  scattered  wintry  snows, 

But  deep  within  thy  noble  soul 
How  warm  thy  nature  glows ! 

Oh,  lofty  soul,  with  childHke  faith, 
Strong,  steady,  calm  and  sure. 


Thy  tender  heart  and  bounteous  hand 
Forever  shall  endure  ! 

Thy  name  shall  pass  from  land  to  land, 
Thy  deeds  from  tongue  to  tongue. 

Thy  virtues  form  inspiring  texts 
For  aged  hearts  and  young. 

A  noble  life,  a  simple  faith, 
An  open  heart  and  hand  ; 

These  are  the  lovely  litanies 
Which  all  men  understand. 

These  are  phylacteries  of  grace. 
Though  hidden  to  the  view, 

Which  bind  in  sacred  brotherhood 
Christian,  Turk  and  Jew. 

The  cries  of  creeds  recalcitrant 

On  every  side  are  sown  ; 
But  no  age  is  degenerate 

Which  claims  thee  as  its  own. 

Abr.  S.  Isaacs. 
Dr.  Abb.  8.  Isaacs,  editor  of   the  Jewish  Messenger-. 

Kent — The  County  of  Kent,  England,  in  which  the  town   of  Kamsgate,  where  Sir  Moses 
resides,  is  situated. 
Chaplet— A  wreath.  I     Eecalcitkant— Obstinate. 

IiiTANY — A  form  of  supplicatory  prayer.  | 


EGYPT, 

AND    ITS    CONNECTION    WITH    OUR    NATIONAL    HISTORY. 

The  invention  of  railroads  and  steamboats  has  rendered  it  much 
easier  for  travelers  to  reach  and  examine  Kgj^t  than  formerly; 
and  I  hope  by  the  aid  of  their  testimony  to  be  able  to  exj^lain  to  you 
hov?  it  is  that  we  are  beginning  to  find  out  that  the  connection  of 
this  wonderful  Egypt  with  us  Israelites,  with  Moses,  and  with  a  re- 
ligion Grod  taught  him  to  teach  us  and  the  world,  continues  to  this 
day,  and  that  fiom  Egypt  we  can  still  gather  proofs  of  its  truth, 
holiness  and  beauty  . .  The  extreme  productiveness  of  the  soil  ac- 
counts for  the  very  frequent  intercourse,  to  which  the  Bible  testifies, 
between  Mizraim  and  Palestine.  Abraham,  with  Sarah,  his  wife, 
"  went  down  thither  "  when  there  was  "  a  famine  that  was  grievous 
in  the  land,"  "  and  thence  Sarah  took  her  handmaiden,  Hagar,  who 
became  Abraham's  wife  and  mother  of  Ishmael,  for  whom,  in  her 
turn,  she  took  a  wife  among  the  Egyptians."  To  Egypt  went  Abra- 
ham's grandson,  Jacob,  with  his  sons,  "when  the  famine  was  sore  in 
all  lands,"  of  which  the  disastrous  consequences  were  averted  by  the 
judgment  and  foresight  with  which  the  God  of  Israel  had  inspired 
the  agent  of  His  divine  mercy,  the  Jewish  captive,  Joseph.  It  was 
this  very  fertihty  which  directed  the  steps  of  our  chosen  race  to  a 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  293 

land  where  al)undant  sustenaBce  could  be  afforded  them  during  the 
four  hundred  and  thii-ty  years  "  of  their  sojourn  therein,"  and  of 
their  numerical  increase,  from  a  fainily  of  seventy,  to  a  people  num- 
bering 400,OUO. . .  .The  recent  traveler,  Brugsch,  affirms  that  por- 
traits of  the  descendants  of  the  Phoenician  settlers  differ  greatly 
from  those  of  the  original  Kopts,  and  this  furnishes  a  strong  his- 
torical ground  on  which  the  entrance  and  departure  of  the  Israelites 
are  based.  Further  evidence,  according  to  the  same  authority,  in. 
the  second  edition  of  his  learned  works,  has  been  obtained  of  the 
elevation  of  Joseph  as  Adom,  or  lord  of  the  country.  With  this 
evidence  before  us,  we  can  but  deplore  that  several  of  those  occupied 
during  the  last  twenty  years  in  Egyptian  researches  were  in  such 
haste  to  make  known  what  they  believed  to  be  the  outcome  of  their 
labors,  that  they  were  led  to  declare  that  outcome  to  be  the  absence 
of  confirmation  of  the  Bil^lical  story  of  Joseph,  and  even  of  the  ex- 
istence of  Moses. 

Bnigsch  Bey,  however,  has  discovered  an  inscription  containing  a 
remarkable  confirmation  of  the  Biblical  naiTative.  It  concludes  with 
these  words:  "  I  collected  corn,  a  friend  of  the  God  of  Harvest.  I 
was  watchful  at  the  time  of  sowing,  and  as  there  were  several  suc- 
cessive years  of  famine,  I  distributed  corn  in  the  town  at  every 
scarcity. ..."  There  is,  besides,  a  most  remarkable  representation 
sculptured  on  the  walls  of  the  tomb  of  Khnumkept,  in  which  certain 
Amu,  or  Semetic  foreigners,  are  depicted  arriving  at  his  court,  and 
being  ushered  into  his  presence.  So  striking  a  resemblance  does  this 
bear  to  the  arrival  of  Jacob  in  Egypt,  it  has  been  deemed  by  some 
to  be  a  picture  of  that  event.  The  number  of  persons  mentioned  is 
not  the  same  as  of  those  who  accompanied  Jacob,  and,  therefore, 
others  have  doubted  its  representing  that  scene.  The  men  are  de- 
picted as  draped  in  long  garments  of  various  colors  and  wearing 
sandals,  unlike  those  of  the  Egyptians.  The  features  of  these 
strangers  resemble  those  of  those  Jews.  The  dress  of  the  chief,  named 
Abusha,  is  richer  than  that  of  his  companions,  and  is  ornamented 
with  a  fringe,  and  a  meander  round  the  neck;  in  his  left  hand  he 
holds  a  short  stick  or  crook,  and  with  his  right  he  offers  a  he-goat; 
seven  others  follow  with  their  asses  and  their  cliildi-en. 

On  his  death-bed,  at  the  close  of  his  long  life,  Joseph  uttered  these 
remarkable  and  tinistful  words,  which  form  the  concluding  passage 
of  the  book  of  Genesis:  "  And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,  I  die; 
and  God  will  surely  visit  you  and  bring  you  out  of  this  land  unto  the 
land  which  he  swear  unto  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob."  "And 
Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  childi-en  of  Israel,  saying,  '  God  wiU 
surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  my  bones  from  hence.'  "  "  So 
Joseph  died,  being  a  hundred  and  ten  years  old,  and  they  embalmed 
him,  and  he  was  put  in  a  coffin  in  Egypt."  After  this  event  the  stone- 
cut  chronicles  of  the  Egyptian  tombs,  and  the  written  rolls,  com- 


294  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

posed  of  the  leaf  of  papyri,  and  found  in  different  places,  are  all 
equally  silent  concerning  the  childi'en  of  Israel  during  their  con- 
tinued sojourn  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  a  period  of  30U  years.  That 
silence  is  first  broken  in  reference  to  the  stirring  incidents  preceding 
and  connected  with  the  birth  of  Moses,  and  with  the  marvelous 
events  of  which  he  was  destined  to  be  the  God-chosen  hero.  But, 
although  no  contemporary  records  have  reached  us  of  those  three 
centuries,  we  have  abundant  subsequent  evidence  of  the  powerful 
influence  exerted  on  the  captives  by  the  habits,  manners,  arts,  attain- 
ments, customs  and  religion  of  the  people  among  whom  they  were 
condemned  to  dwell.  When  the  curtain  closed  on  the  existence  of 
Joseph  and  his  descendants,  we  quitted  them  as  simple  shepherds, 
tending  their  sheep,  believing  wholly  in  the  faith  of  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob. 

And  we  must  briefly  examine  what  were  those  manners,  customs, 
arts  and  religious  notions,  in  order  that  we  may  comjDrehend  the 
changes  in  theu'  nature  and  circumstances  with  which  our  great 
Lawgiver  had  to  contend.  As  we  have  already  seen,  the  Egyptians 
displayed  great  skiU  in  sculpture  and  architecture.  They  jDossessed 
an  extensive  literature,  and  to  them  the  invention  of  the  art  of  writing- 
appears  to  be  due.  The  dress  of  the  Egyptians  was  various;  per- 
sons of  high  rank  wore  garments  of  fine  linen,  having  sleeves,  and 
reaching  to  the  anldes.  The  ornaments  worn  by  both  sexes  were 
nearly  the  same ;  coral,  rows  of  beads,  and  chains  of  gold  around  the 
the  necks,  armlets  and  bracelets  of  gold,  inlaid  with  lapis  lazuli  and 
turquoise,  around  the  arms,  and  anklets  of  the  same  around  the 
ankles.  Earrings  were  worn  by  women  only ;  but  both  sexes  loaded 
their  fingers  with  rings,  some  of  which  were  used  as  signets. 

Turn  we  now  to  the  second  great  connecting  link  between  the 
early  Hebrew  and  Eg;y^3tian  annals — Moses.  The  very  few  brief  and 
salient  points  which  I  have  just  brought  to  your  attention  will  make 
it  clear  to  you  that  the  influence  exerted  by  them  on  our  ancestors 
is  notimaginary,  though  the  fact  of  the  Hebrews  living  apart  "in  the 
best  of  the  land,"  Goshen,  secured  to  them  the  continued  exercise  of 
their  calling  as  shepherds,  and  the  memory  and  use  of  their  original 
national  language.  We  find  that  the  unexplained  divine  command, 
"  Demand  of  the  Egyptians  jewels  of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold  and 
fine  raiment,"  was  easily  met;  for,  as  we  have  just  seen,  these  formed 
part  of  the  people's  common  apparels.  And,  as  we  are  further  told, 
"  the  Lord  gave  the  people  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  Egyptians,  and 
they  spoiled  the  Egyptians,"  since  they  gladly  divested  themselves 
of  their  ornaments,  to  fit-ee  themselves  from  the  trials  to  which  they 
felt,  in  the  visitation  of  the  ten  plagues,  the  jjresence  of  the  children 
of  Israel  had  exposed  them.  The  arts  thus  learned  from  the  Egyp- 
tians enabled  the  Hebrews  to  execute  the  previously  unrevealed 
divine  purpose,  for  which  the  hitherto  slaves  denuded  their  masters i 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  295 

for  these  very  spoils  furnished  the  materials  for  the  erection  and 
ornamentation  of  the  Tabernacle,  destined  to  be  the  national  place 
for  the  worship  of  the  Most  Hij^h.  Thus  the  arts  learned  from  the 
Egyptians  were  exercised  by  those  whom  the  sacred  writings  de- 
clare— "  He  hath  filled  with  wisdom  of  heart,  to  work  all  manner  of 
work,  of  the  engraver  and  of  the  cunning  workman,  and  of  the  em- 
broiderer in  blue  and  in  purple,  in  scarlet,  and  in  fine  linen,  and  of 
the  weaver,  even  of  them  that  do  any  work,  and  those  that  devise 
cunning  work." 

Amid  all  this  circumstantial  evidence,  with  which  the  pages  of 
the  Pentateuch  teem,  it  would  seem  imj^ossible  that  the  mere  fortui- 
tous circumstances  of  the  non-discovery  of  the  name  of  Moses  should 
have  caused  any  doubt  of  his  having  lived  in  Egypt  to  arise.  Still 
more  incomprehensible  is  it  that  a  like  doubt  of  his  proj)hetic  power 
having  been  given  him  by  God  himself  could  have  subsisted,  in 
presence  of  the  testimony  afforded  by  our  dispersions,  among  all 
nations  of  the  earth,  as  Moses  foretold  three  thousand  years  ago,  in 
the  twenty-eighth,  twenty-ninth  and  thirtieth  chapters  of  Deuter- 
onomy. But  I  think  it  not  unlikely  you  may  have  heard  that  such 
a  school  of  doubters  among  Egyptiologists  did  arise  about  twenty 
years  since,  among  whom  (I  regret  to  add)  the  names  of  more  than 
one  of  our  own  race  were  to  be  found.  When  referring  to  the  con- 
nection of  the  two  peoples  being  a  permanent  fact,  I  felt  it  would  be 
my  duty,  before  I  close  my  address  this  evening,  to  place  before  you 
the  results  of  the  latest  Egyptian  researches,  in  the  very  words  in 
which  they  were  made  known  by  the  excavator  and  translator  him- 
self, Brugsch  Bey,  by  the  publication  in  German,  last  autumn,  of  a 
ponderous  volume  containing  the  narrative  of  thii  lengthy  and 
laborious  researches  among  Egyptian  monuments  and  papyri.  These 
are  his  words:  "Directed  by  an  order  from  His  Highness,  the 
Khedive  of  Egypt,  to  come  to  London,  in  order  to  represent  his 
country  at  the  International  Congress  of  Orientalists,  the  desire  of 
this  Prince  was,  that  I  might  communicate  to  the  enhghtened  pub- 
lic in  England,  who  interest  themselves  in  Biblical  questions,  the  re- 
sults of  my  last  researches  on  the  sojourn  of  the  Hebrews  in  Egypt. 
I  have  chosen  for  my  theme  their  exodus  from  Eamses  to  their 
arrival  at  Elim.  My  researches  were  founded  on  the  geographical 
indications  of  Egyptian  monuments  contemporary  with  the  time  of 
Exodus.  I  have  arrived  at  the  following  conclusions,  which  1  con- 
sider unquestionable:  1.  That  the  town  of  Eamses  differs  in  no  way 
from  the  town  of  Zoan,  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as  the  place 
where  Moses  pei'formed  the  miracles  before  the  Pharaoh  of  his  time. 
2.  That  the  town  of  Pithon,  likewise  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  was 
the  chief  town  of  the  adjoining  district.  3.  The  third  station,  called 
in  the  Bible  Ethom,  bears  the  name  of  Hethom  in  the  Egyptian 
texts.     4.  From  Hethom  the  Hebrews  turned  to  the  north  and  then 


2Do  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

aiTived  at  Migdol,  which  was  the  foui-th  station.  Setting-  out  from 
Migdol  the  Hebrews  encamped  between  Migdol  and  the  sea,  i.  e., 
the  Mediterranean,  opposite  the  Baal-Zephom.' 

As  Pharaoh  and  his  army  pursxxed  the  Hebrews  on  the  isthmus, 
between  the  sea  and  the  lake  of  Sirbonis,  they  were  swallowed  up 
by  the  abysses  of  that  sea.  Once  arrived  at  Mount  Kasios,  the  east- 
ern frontier  of  ancient  Egyyt,  where  "  the  way  of  the  Philistines 
begins,"  the  Hebrews  traversed  the  desert  to  Marah,  "where  the 
water  was  bitter. '  These  are  the  bitter  water  lakes  of  our  days. 
The  sixth  station,  Elim,  called  in  Egypt  Alem,  is  to  the  north  of  the 
Red  Sea.  All  these  indications  exactly  correspond  in  Egyptian  and 
in  Hebrew.  No  student  can  separate  them  from  one  another  or  alter 
the  site  now  fixed  once  for  all. 

Papyri  inform  us,  likewise,  that  the  Hebrews  occupied  during 
their  sojourn  in  Egypt  the  districts  of  Ramses  and  of  Pithon;  that 
they  were  compelled  to  build  certain  constructions  in  both  these 
towns,  until  Moses  delivered  them  "  out  of  the  house  of  their  bond- 
age." The  name  of  Moses,  in  Hebrew  Moshe,  is  to  be  found  in  a 
place  called  "  Isle  of  Moshe,"  which  is  situated  on  the  right  border 
of  the  Nile. 

I  have  purposely  deferred  to  the  close  of  my  address  to  bring 
before  you  the  subject  most  important,  most  enduring,  and,  I  may 
add,  most  disastrous  in  its  influence  on  the  Israelites.  I  refer  to 
the  idolatry  of  the  Egyptians.  Their  religion  was  chiefly  connected 
with  the  adoration  of  the  sun  and  moon,  with  which  were  also  asso- 
ciated deities  too  numerous,  and  a  system  of  idolatrous  worship  too 
complicated,  to  admit  of  explanation  this  evening.  To  each  of  their 
gods  and  goddesses  (some  of  whom  were  represented  with  human, 
some  with  animal's  heads)  a  particular  animal  was  dedicated.  Ossi- 
ris  and  his  wife,  Isis,  were  after  the  sun  and  moon,  the  universal  god 
and  goddess  of  Egypt.  I  he  hull  was  the  animal  sacred  to  the  sun 
and  moon,  and,  in  one  temple,  a  cow. 

If  we  consider  that  for  3U0  years  the  Hebrews  had  had  no  teacher 
of  religion  among  them,  no  place  of  worship  of  the  One  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob  and  Joseph,  instead  of  our  surprise  and  con- 
demnation being  elicited  by  the  first  outbreak  of  idolatry  which 
found  voice,  when  a  section  of  the  people  demanded  that  Aaron 
should  make  for  them  the  god  to  which  they  were  accustomed,  the 
golden  cow  or  calf  of  the  vale  of  Sinai,  we  ought  rather  to  experience 
admiration  for  the  strong  national  feeling  which  bound  the  Israelites 
in  the  bond  of  their  Abrahamic  descent,  and  to  recognize  with 
prayerfid  gratitude  that  God  was  indeed  "  with  Moses."  We  ought 
to  see  that  it  was  the  guiding  hand  of  the  Lord  which  enabled  him 
to  rule  the  hosts,  but  just  emerged  from  the  darkness  of  Egyptian 
bondage,  to  lead  those  who  had  reveled  in  the  "  flesh  pots  of  Egypt,"^ 
as  houseless   wanderers   through   the   pathless   wilderness,  to   the 


FOR  THE  USE  OE^  ISRAELITES.  297 

"borders  of  that  land  wbicli  he  was  permitted  to  see,  but  not  to  enter. 
That  this  Moses,  who  (as  Josephus  tells  us,  on  the  testimony  of 
Manetho,  the  Egyptian  historian)  was  learned  in  all  the  learning  of 
the  Egyptians;  that  he  had  dwelt  in  the  palace,  and  that  he  had,  more- 
over, married  the  daughter  of  an  Egyj)tian  priest  ;  that  this  Moses 
had  east  out  of  his  mind  all  the  religion,  and  all  the  false  gods  with 
which  from  his  childhood  upward  it  must  have  been  filled  ;  that  his 
life's  thought  and  purpose  were  to  execute  his  Creator's  mission — is, 
indeed,  incontrovertible  proof  that  he  had  held  spiritually  direct 
communion  and  received  direct  inspiration  and  revelation  from  the 
Most  High, 

Those  generations  who  followed  him  relapsed  again  and  again, 
sovereigns  and  people,  into  the  idolatry  from  the  practice  of  which 
he  ever  sought  to  shield  his  beloved  race.  Yet  this  idolatry  has 
shown  itself  still,  amid  all  the  boasted  civilization  of  modern  history, 
in  various  forms,  and  in  manj^  lands.  Idolatry  it  was  which  anued 
the  hands  of  the  Crusaders  in  the  bloody  struggle  for  the  possession 
of  the  so-called  "Holy  Sepulcher."  Again,  it  was  idolatry  which,  a 
century  ago,  in  the  time  of  Catherine  of  Eussia,  constituted  the  first 
phase  of  this  fatal  "  Eastern  Question."  Once  more,  it  is  an  idol- 
atrous worship  of  a  name  in  lieu  of  the  thing  which  it  is  said  to  re- 
present, that  has  enabled  a  cruel  and  despotic  ruler  to  win  approval 
and  sympathy,  even  though  but  from  a  handful  of  the  subjects  of  our 
high-minded  and  beloved  Queen.  An  idolatry  it  is  which  has  formed 
the  hollow  pretext  for  a  fierce  and  aggressive  struggle,  carried  on 
amid  the  groans  and  sufferings  of  victors  and  vanquished,  in  the 
blood-stained  fields  of  Turkey. 

For  our  great  Lawgiver  and  Prophet,  we  had  no  "  holy  place  "  to 
guard.     At  His  unknown  grave  we  had,  as  says  the  Irish  bard,  but  to 


Oh  !  ne'er  shall  Israel  know  again 
A  chief  to  God  and  her  so  true. 

Remember  ye  His  parting  lays, 
His  farewell  song  by  Jordan's  tide, 

When  full  of  glory  and  of  days, 

He  saw  the  Promised  Land  and  died. 
Weep,  children  of  Israel,  weep." 


"  Weep  for  him,  the  man  of  God, 

In  yonder  vale  he  sank  to  rest, 
But  none  of  earth  can  point  the  sod 

Which  flowers  above  his  sacred  breast. 
Weep,  children  of  Israel,  weep  ! 

His  doctrines  fell  like  Heaven's  rain, 
His  words  distilled  like  Heaven's  dew; 

Thus,  my  friends,  I  have,  you  will  admit;  proved  the  assertion  with 
which  I  set  out.  Chronicles  cut  in  the  dark  stone  catacombs  of 
Egypt  3,000  years  ago,  but  only  even  now  unearthed  by  the  hand  of 
the  excavator,  give  their  silent  but  imjDerishable  testimony  (one,  how- 
ever, which  the  diligent  Bible  student  needs  not)  to  the  fact  that 
the  immortal  agent  of  God's  beneficent  dealing  with  men — Moses  — 
did  live  and  work  in  the  land.  For  assuredly  the  sacred  and  world- 
wide festival  which  we  have  just  celebrated  is  in  itself  enough  to 
prove  that  we    were  in,  and  came  forth  from,  Egypt.     Yet   more^ 


298 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


it  should  suffice  to  awaken  in  us  all  —men  and  women,  youths  and 
maidens,  rich  and  poor,  gentle  and  simple,  learned  and  unlearned — 
the  high  resolve  to  fulflJl  throughout  all  time,  and  in  all  places,  the 
task  which  he,  Moses,  bequeathed  unto  us  ;  to  be  God's  laborers. 
His  witnesses,  His  priests,  to  keep  the  holy  places  which  He  has 
given  us  to  guard,  hands  with  which  to  do  justice,  hearts  with  which  to 
love  mercy,  spirits  with  which  to  walk  humbly,  souls  to  keep  un- 
desecrated  sanctuaries,  for  the  sole  worship  of  the  One  Living  God, 
at  whose  behest  Moses  called  unto  us,  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord 
our  God,  the  Lord  is  One."  M.  A.  Goldsmid. 


Miss  M.  A.  Goldsmid,  sister  of  the  late  Sir  Francis  Goldsmirl,  a  lady  of  great  culture,  trans- 
lator of  th' well-known  French  publication  "The  Deceides,"  author  of  several  other  works, 
and  noted  for  her  unremitting  interest  in  the  religious  and  moral  training  of  the  poorer  class 
of  her  co-religionists. 

Meandeb— Maze;  labyrinth.  [      Fortuitous-— Accidental;  casual. 


Lapis  Lazuli— A  stone  of  an  azure  or  blue 
color. 

Turquoise— A  blue  stone  among  the  meaner 
precious  stones. 

Salient — Leaping,  bounding.  I 

To  Denude — To  strip,  to  make  naked. 


Khedive— Title  of  the  chief  ruler  of  Egypt; 
vice-royal. 
Incontrovertible — Not  to  be  disputed. 
Phase  -  Appearance. 
Bard— A  poet. 


KIBROTH  HATTAVAH. 


Num.  xi:  31; 
Upon  the  sacred  page  that  tells. 

With  mingled  grief  and  song, 
The  tale  of  Israel's  journeyings  drear 

Arabia's  wilds  among, 

Are  stories  that  we  sometimes  read 
With  careless  heart  and  cold. 

But  which  the  quickened  spirit  sees 
In  characters  of  gold. 

And  chiefly  now  my  mind  recalls. 

Among  these  ancient  tales, 
How,  in  the  wilderness,  God  fed 

The  lusting  Jews  with  quails. 

The  mighty  hand  and  stretched  out  arm 
They  had  not  learned  to  trust; 

God's  anger  smote    them  while    they 
ate; 
Theirs  are  the  graves  of  lust. 

Some  unknown  bard  long  after  tried. 

Following  the  poet-king, 
To  set  their  chronicles  to  song 

For  temple  choirs  to  sing. 

He  wrote — some  bitter  memories 
Perchance  lit  up  their  scrolls — 


Ps.  cvi  :  15. 

"God  gave    them   their  request,   but 
sent 
Leanness  into  their  souls." 

But  those  rebellious  Jews  are  not, 
On  Time's  close-written  rolls. 

The  only  men  that  had  their  wills, 
With  leanness  in  their  souls. 

He  that  believes  shall  not  make  haste — 

And  herein  lies  our  crime; 
We  strive  for  pleasure,  fame  and  wealth, 

And  cannot  wait  God's  time. 

His  blessing  makes  His  people  rich, 

Nor  sorrow  adds  withal; 
While  earth's  best  joys  of  Him  unblest, 

To  memory  are  as  gall. 

0  God  !  whose  witness  in  our  hearts 

Is  that  we  turn  to  Thee; 
Help  us  to  trust  Thee,  that  we  may 

Thy  faithful  children  be. 

Could  we  so  trust,  we  could  not  tire, 

Nor  faint  upon  the  i-oad; 
Fed,  like  the  Jews,  wiih  angels'  food  - 

Our  Guide,  the  mighty  God  ! 

Adapted. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  299 

THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS. 
T. 

Time  and  again  it  has  been  said  that  the  revelation  on  Sinai,  the 
ten  words,  or  Decalogue,  as  recorded  especially  in  Ex.  xx.,  is  the 
central  doctrine  of  Mosaism,  as  well  as  the  base  of  human  civiliza- 
tion. Let  us  closely  look  at  these  Ten  Commandments.  Why  are 
they  of  that  paramount  imj)ortance?  Why  have  they  become  the 
patrimony  of  mankind?  Under  what  circumstances,  and  with 
what  aim  have  they  been  revealed  ? 

A  horde  of  laborers,  sprung  from  an  illustrious  stock,  but  de- 
graded by  oppression,  led  by  the  greatest  of  prophets,  the  grandest 
legislative  genius  of  antiquity,  left,  under  the  most  arduous  difficul- 
ties, now  nearly  3,200  years  ago,  the  counti-y  of  their  bondage,  the 
then  powerful  Egyj^t.  That  host  was  to  be  convei-ted  into  a  nation, 
an  everlasting,  spiritual  and  monotheistic  nation,  or  "  kingdom  of 
priests  and  holy  people,"  at  a  time  when  all  the  sun'ounding  tribes 
were  ephemeral,  coarsely  material,  and  given  to  sensual  idolatry. 
To  be  created,  that  nation  needed,  before  everything,  laws,  morality 
and  order;  the  ideas  of  right  and  sympathy,  instead  of  physical 
force  and  selfishness,  were  to  change  the  horde  of  laborers  into  a 
"kingdom  of  priests  and  holy  nation,"  into  a  people  where  man 
and  woman,  young  and  old,  high  and  low,  shall  be  their  own  priests, 
their  own  mediators  and  intercessors   with  their  Father  in  heaven. 

That  horde  was,  therefore,  led  to  the  vast  and  majestic  Arabic 
desert,  to  the  picturesque  peninsula  of  Sinai.  There  they  witnessed 
that  grand  and  solemn  divine  act,  the  revelation  on  Sinai,  memor- 
able for  all  time  under  the  most  awful  and  tremendous  phenomena 
of  nature,  only  exhibited  in  those  tropic  latitudes;  the  terror  in- 
spiring outbreak  of  volcanoes;  the  lightning  rending  and  wonder- 
fully illumining  the  atmosphere ;  the  crush  and  roar  of  tropic  thunder 
storms  pealing  to  the  skies,  majestically  vibrating  in  the  hundred 
ravines  and  hollows  of  the  mountainous  and  craggy  Sinaitic  penin- 
sula. All  that  re-echoed  in  the  hearts  of  a  whole  people,  standing 
around,  trembling  with  holy  awe,  and  awaiting  their  own  salvation 
and  the  fate  of  their  far  future  from  that  solemn  hour.  The  deep 
waters  of  the  Red  Sea  recoil  in  awe;  the  vast  plains  of  the  Sahara 
suspend  their  monotony;  the  imposing  cataracts  of  the  Nile  inter- 
rupt their  dashing  and  roaring  falls;  the  innumerable  tribes  of 
Western  Asia  and  Arabia,  of  Kush  and  Mizraim,  forget  their  eternal 
wars.  They  aU  gaze  at  the  spectacle  on  Horeb.  Nature  is  in 
travail;  she  begets  the  nation  of  the  spirit.  Israel  is  coming  to 
light;  the  skies  are  rent  asunder.  The  holy  angels  stand  in  majestic 
array,  chanting  in  eternal  chorus,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy,  the  Lord,  the 
Eternal  Zobaoth;  full  of  His  glory  is  all  the  universe."  The  Shechina 
is  descending  on  the  summit  of  high  Horeb,  and  there  stands  the 


300  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

grand  prophet,  Moses;  rapt  in  silence  he  is  awaiting  the  inspiration 
of  the  Most  High.  Kneel  down,  peoples  of  earth;  fall  prostrate, 
mortals !     Lo,  spirit  is  marrying  matter !     God  is  in  common  with 

men.  

TI. 

"  I  am  the  Eternal,  thy  God,  who  has  brought  thee  forth  from  the 
land  of  Egypt,  the  house  of  bondage.  Thou  shalt  have  no  other 
gods  before  me."     (2  M.  xx:  2.) 

Anocki,  I.  God  is  one,  not  two,  as  the  contending  principles  of 
good  and  evil  of  the  doctrine  of  Zoroaster;  not  three,  as  that  of 
ancient  Brahminism  and  later  Christianity;  not  the  four  elements, 
not  the  many  planets,  not  the  entii-e  physical  world.  The  divine 
principle  is  Unitarian;  no  dualism,  trinity,  polytheism  or  pantheism. 
Anochi,  I  am.  God  is  the  Supreme  Being,  the  eternal  essence,  the 
unchangeable  and  unextinguishable  life  of  all  existence,  the  cause, 
creator  and  preserver  of  the  universe.  Anochi,  I  am.  God,  the  es- 
sence of  all  existence,  the  reality  of  all  phenomena,  is  yet  purely 
spiritual ;  he  is  self-conscious,  all-intelligent  and  absolutely  free.  He 
is  not  the  world  itseK,  nor  its  order  and  harmony,  nor  its  immut- 
able law.  This  universe  is  God's  free  creation,  not  His  necessary 
part.  Thus  no  materialism  and  no  Spinozism.  Anochi.  God  is  the 
living  self-existence,  not  a  mere  abstraction  of  all  the  conscious  in- 
telligence of  mankind.  No  Hegelianism  !  As  a  ray  emanates  from 
the  sun,  but  is  not  the  sun  himself;  as  a  drop  of  water  is  of  the  same 
nature  as  the  ocean,  yet  not  the  ocean  itself,  even  so  are  the  free- 
will, the  moral  and  the  intellectual  faculties  of  man,  rays  from  the 
Godhead,  but  no  entire  God  himself.  Man  and  the  world  are  resting 
in  the  lap  of  the  great  I  Am,  but  He  is  not  absorbed  hy  the  human 
intelligence.  Anochi,  Adonaj.  1  am  the  Eternal,  the  everlasting 
Being.  God  is  uncreated,  not  comiDOsed  of  parts  or  persons,  and 
not  decomposable;  hence  a  strictly  and  vigorously  elementary  Being, 
where  birth  and  death  are  inadmissible — in  contradistinction  with 
Christianity. 

Elohacho.  He  is  also  Elohim.  The  force,  the  innate  essence  of 
matter,  as  all  the  aggregate  forces  of  nature,  reside  in  Him.  He 
penetrates,  invigorates  and  presei-ves  nature,  as  the  heat  of  the  sun 
is  pervading  and  vivifying  the  plants.  Elohacho.  This  is  the  God  of 
Israel.  Mankind's  Lord  is  Israel's  Lord  too.  Hence  no  national 
deities,  no  polytheism.  "Who  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt  ?  "  He  is  a  God  of  liberty.  He  breaks  the  chains  of  the 
captives  and  punishes  tyranny.  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me, '  for  there  are  none.  The  God  of  Israel  is  the  Lord  of 
mankind.  He  is  enthroned  on  Moriah,  and  earth  and  heaven  are 
but  his  footstool.  "  Make  not  unto  thee  any  graven  image  or  any 
figure."  He  being  a  pure  spirit  He  cannot  fitly  be  represented  by  any 
material  object.     Being  all.  He  cannot  be  figured  by  a  part.     Being 


FOR  TliE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  301 

eternal,  He  cannot  be  imaged  by  anything  final  In  order  to  avoid 
idolati'y  there  shall  not  be  any  material  symbolizing  of  the  Deity. 
The  spirit  shall  be  comprehended  by  the  spirit,  not  by  the  senses. 

"Utter  not  the  name  of  the  Eternal,  thy  Lord,  in  vain."  The 
life,  course  and  essence  of  all  existence  is  the  most  sublime  and  most 
exalted  conception  of  man.  Hence,  when  in  His  presence,  when  in 
His  temple,  it  shall  be  for  the  sake  of  prayer  and  instruction,  for 
communion  with  Him,  not  for  mere  habit  and  imitation,  pastime  or 
fashion. 

"  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  for  keeping  it  holy."  Do  remember 
it,  brethren.  Alas !  you  forget  it  but  too  often.  For  six  days  shalt 
thou  work  and  jorovide  for  thy  bodily  wants,  but  the  seventh  day  is 
a  solemn  rest,  to  be  consecrated  to  the  Eternal.  That  day  is  the 
patrimony  of  the  mind;  it  shall  be  set  apart  for  spiritual  culture. 
Drudges  as  we  are  during  the  week  days,  we  recognize  on  the  Sab- 
bath our  noble  birthright;  we  are  rehabilitated  into  our  human 
dignity.  Hence  is  Sabbath-breaking  a  crime  toward  oui'selves;  it 
is  a  moral  suicide. 

"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother."  Honor  and  cherish,  ye 
young  ones;  obey  and  respect  your  parents,  who  represent  to  you 
God  on  earth.  They  are  your  earthly  providence  from  your  very 
existence.  You  owe  them  your  being,  your  education,  your  happi- 
ness. They  sacrifice  everything  for  you.  They  work  and  toil;  they 
live  and  die  for  3^ou;  they  sustain  and  educate,  love  and  cheer  you. 
You  are  their  visible  immortality,  their  hoj^e  and  joy  in  the  life  to 
come.  There  are  dangerous  encroachments  upon  this  command- 
ment in  our  good  America.  How  often  does  not  liberty  degenerate 
into  license  !  What  a  tendency  to  be  careless  toward  pai'ents !  What 
impatience  at  control  I  Eemember,  the  noblest  trait  of  the  Jewish 
character,  since  times  immemorial,  has  been  the  intimacy,  the 
tenderness  between  the  family  members;  the  veneration,  the  im- 
plicit obedience  of  childi'en  toward  their  father  and  mother,  and 
kindred.  Let  not,  young  Israel,  this  noblest  laurel  of  Jewish  family 
life  be  lost  to  you.  Honor,  cherish  and  reverence  your  parents  on 
earth  as  you  do  your  Father  in  heaven. 

"Commit  no  murder,  no  adultery,  no  theft."  Respect  the  life  of 
thy  fellow-man,  the  dignity  and  chastity  of  the  family,  and  the 
prosperity  of  thy  neighbor.  These  are  the  pillars  of  society. 
Upon  the  ID  depends  the  salvation  of  the  individual  and  of  the  State. 
"Bear  no  false  witness  against  thy  neighbor."  Let  never  untruth 
pollute  thy  lips.  Let  sincerity,  fairness  and  ui'banity  prevail  among 
men.  "  Covet  not  thy  neighbor's  house,  or  his  wife,  or  his  property." 
Have  no  desire  for  anything  not  thine.  Be  pure  and  chaste  even  in 
thought,  that  thy  deeds  may  ever  be  correct.  The  State  pun- 
ishes only  bad  acts;  God  forbids  evil  thoughts  too. 

This  is  an  abruj)t  outline  of  the  great  and  salutary  principles 


302  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

enunciated  by  the  revelation  of  Sinai.  You  see  these  ten  words  bear 
upon  the  whole  man,  as  an  individual,  a  member  of  the  family  and 
of  the  State.  This  short  and  succinct  expounding  proves  the  Deca- 
logue j)lainly  to  embody  the  entire  essence  of  Jewish  religion,  as 
well  as  all  the  chief  features  of  human  civilization.  The  more  you 
reflect,  the  riper  you  meditate,  the  wider  will  these  words  expand  in 
importance  and  comprehensiveness,  till  they  simply  become  world- 
wide. 

The  voice  that  resounded  on  Sinai,  say  our  sages  most  profoundly, 
was  split  and  listened  to  in  undertones  and  in  seventy  lan- 
guages. This  intimates  that  the  Decalogue  widens  and  deepens 
in  meaning  and  significance,  the  riper,  the  more  profound  and  the 
more  exalted  the  expounder.  Thus  the  ten  words,  the  few  verses 
of  Exodus  XX.,  especially  termed  the  revelation  of  Sinai,  produced, 
in  the  successive  centuries,  the  Pentateuch,  the  prophets  and  the 
holy  writers;  next  the  Mishna,  the  Gemara,  the  Cabala,  and  the 
present  modern  phase  of  Judaism;  next  Christianity  and  Moham- 
medanism, and  in  general  the  present  civilization.  On  the  other  hand, 
suggests  again  our  Rabbinical  saying,  the  Ten  Commandments  were 
delivered  not  only  to  the  Hebrews,  but  to  mankind.  To  every 
human  being  the  doctrine  of  the  existence  of  God,  the  Sabbath, 
the  respect  to  parents,  the  sacredness  of  life,  matrimony  and  prop- 
erty, veracity  and  chastity,  etc.,  is  audible  in  every  one's  own 
tongue,  in  the  Horeb  of  our  own  heart's  and  consciences.  Thus  the 
great  doctrine  of  Israel  is  not  dogmatic;  no,  it  is  self-evident;  it 
has  been  delivered,  and  is  daily  being  repea,ted  in  the  seventy  human 
tongues  composing  the  civilized  portion  of  mankind,  in  the  Rabbin- 
ical metaphor. 

And  all  the  myriads  of  Jacob's  house  were  present  at  the  grand 
scene.  They  beheld,  trembling  with  awe,  the  thunder  pealing,  and 
the  lightning  flashing,  and  the  noise  of  the  Shofar,  and  the  holy 
Horeb  enveloped  in  azure  clouds.  "And  the  people  together,  as  one 
man,  exclaimed,  '  Whatever  the  Eternal  has  spoken  we  will  per- 
form.' "  And  all  man's  moral  nature,  indeed,  entire  mankind,  and 
even  posterity,  responded  Amen. 

III. 

From  that  time  on,  until  this  very  day,  each  generation  of  Israel 
has  subscribed  to  the  Ten  Commandments  by  exclaiming,  as  at 
Horeb  our  sires  did,  "  Whatever  the  Eternal  has  spoken  we 
wlQ  perform."  This  became  the  war-cry  of  our  ancestors  during 
thousands  of  years  and  on  a  thousand  battlefields;  at  whatever  cost, 
and  whatever  sacrifice,  we  shall  not  waver,  and  not  hesitate,  in  spite 
of  all  obstacles.  March  on,  Israel,  and  no  surrender,  thou  people 
of  the  Decalogue  !  When,  at  the  fatal  battle  of  Waterloo,  in  1815, 
relates  history,  the  French  army  was  defeated  and  summoned  to 
surrender,  the  Imperial  Guard  answered  :    "  The  Guard  dies,  but 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  305 

does  not  surrender."  We,  Israelites,  had  one  hundred  Waterloos 
in  our  career,  and  as  the  Swiss  Guard  of  the  Decalogue  our  an- 
cestors responded:  "Israel  dies,  but  does  not  surrender.  What- 
ever the  Eternal  has  spoken  we  will  do."  During  the  long  centuries 
of  the  first  Temple  our  sires  were  enveloped,  as  with  a  brazen  waU, 
by  Paganism,  and  continually  menaced  to  be  swallowed  up  by  the 
thousand-fold  enemy.  But  they  stood  their  ground,  answering: 
"  Whatever  the  Eternal  has  spoken  we  will  do."  Trinitarian  Christi- 
anity, then,  the  Roman  Pontiffs,  threatened  Israel  with  the  hatred  of 
rivalship  and  family  feud.  But  our  sires  answered:  "  No  surrender." 
....  Mohammedanism  then  made  its  appearance ;  first  as  a  friend  and 
ally,  but  soon  as  a  bloody  enemy,  making  a  war  of  extermination 
upon  our  people,  who  yet  did  not  yield,  shouting:  "The  Guard  dies, 
but  does  not  surrender." 

The  seventh  and  thirteenth  centuries  came,  when  the  Crusaders 
hastened  to  Jerusalem  to  conquer  a  grave ;  but  before  fighting  the 
Saracens  they  let  loose  their  fury  against  the  inoffensive  and  defence- 
less Jews,  giving  them  the  choice  between  death  and  apostacy. 
They  died  with  the  old  war  cry.  The  fifteenth  century  appeared, 
and  Spain  and  Portugal  exhibited  for  the  first  time  the  immense 
tragedy  of  expelling,  on  account  of  religion,  a  million  of  Jewish 
subjects,  who  mournfully  left  their  beloved  homes,  crying:  "No 
surrender."  The  sixteenth  century  saw  the  same  heai-trending 
spectacle  repeated  over  in  Eilgland,  France  and  Germany.  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  turned  their  weeping  eyes  to  Poland,  the  Lower 
Danube  and  Turkey,  yet  defiantly  shouting:  "  Whatever  the  Eternal 
has  spoken  we  will  do."  In  the  seventeenth  century  the  remainder 
of  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  Jews  yet  living  in  their  old  homes, 
under  the  mercies  of  the  Inquisition,  as  the  so-called  new  Christians 
or  Marranos,  were  hunted  up  and  discovered  by  those  spiritual 
bloodhounds,  and  again  placed  between  horrid  death  and  apostacy. 
The  Marranos  answered:  "  The  Guard  dies,  but  does  not  surrender." 
In  the  eighteenth  centiu-y  Europe  felt  tired  of  killing  and  plunder- 
ing on  account  of  religion,  but  inaugurated  the  policy  of  pressing 
our  fathers  into  the  Ghetto,  and  excluding  them  from  everj^  honor- 
able career.  Yet  Israel  was  not  shaken  in  his  constancy;  submitting 
to  everything  but  apostacy.  The  nineteenth  century  is  soon  past, 
but  this  war-cry  is  not  silenced.  Listen !  The  heroic  shout  re-echoes — 
there  from  Romania;  here  from  Russia;  now  from  Moi'occo,  and 
again  from  Persia.  Our  brethi-en  are  required  to  abjure  their  faith, 
or  be  exiled  and  starved.  And  they,  too,  keep  firm  their  banner 
with  the  old  motto. 

American  Israel,  should  the  occasion  come  to  try  your  constancy 
in  the  Ten  Commandments;  should  those  fanatics  succeed  (they 
never  will)  in  making  our  constitution  trinitarian,  I  trust  you  and 
your  children  will  answer  the  same,  "Israel  dies, but  does  not  sur- 


304 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


lender."  And  Israel  did  not  die;  nor  did  he  surrender.  Israel 
lives,  stronger  in  spirit  and  in  number  than  ever.  Israel  will  live 
to  gain  over  mankind  to  the  jmnciples  and  practice  of  the  Ten 
Commandments;  will  continue  to  battle  for  his  Messianic  mission, 
and  his  motto  wiH  be  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past:  "Whatever  the 
Eternal  has  sjDoken  we  shaU  jjerfonn,"  and  never  siuTender.  Never, 
never,  Amen.     With  the  help  of  God ! 

Maurice  Fluegel. 

Kev.  Maurice  Fluegel,  minister  of  Erie,  Pa  ,  well-known  as  a  political  writer  in  defence 
ot  his  brethren,  when  and  wherever  they  suffered  persecution 


Pateimont— An  estate  possessed  by  inheri- 
tance. 

Monotheism— The  belief  in  one  God  only. 

Ephemeral— Beginning  and  ending  in  one 
day. 

To  Travail-  To  labor. 
Shechina— (Hebrew)  Divine  Spirit. 
Polytheism— The   do  .trine  of  plurality  of 

gods. 


Dualism— The  doctrine  of  the  gods. 

Pantheism— The  doctrine  that  the  universe 
is  God. 

Spinozism— The  doctrine  that  God  is  not 
only  the  maker  but  the  matterof  the  universe. 

Hegelianism— The  system  ot  Hegel's  phil- 
osophy. 

Decalogue— The  Ten  Commandments  given 
by  God  to  Moses. 


GOD  KNOWETH  BEST. 


Sometime,  when  all  life's  lessons  have 
been  learned, 
And  sun  and  stars  forevermore  have 
set, 
The  things  which  our  weak  judgments 
here  have  spurned — 
The_  things    o'er    which  we  grieved 
with  lashes  wet — 
Will  flash  before  us,  out  of  life's  dark 
night. 
As  stars  shine   most  in  deeper  tints 
of  blue, 
And  we  shall  see  how  all  God's  plans 
were  right, 
And  how  what  seemed  reproof  was 
love  most  true. 

And  we  shall  see  how,  while  we  frown 
and  sigh, 
God's  plans  go  on  as  best  for  you 
and  me; 
How,  when  we  called,   He  heeded  not 
oiu-  cry, 
Because  Lis  wisdom  to  the  end  could 
see. 
And  even  as  prudent  parents  disallow 
Too  much  of  sweet  to  craving  baby- 
hood. 
So  God,perhaps,  is  keeping  from  us  now 
Life's    sweetest    things,    because    it 
seemeth  good. 


And   if,   sometimes,  commingled   with 
life's  wine. 
We  find   the  wormwood,  and  rebel 
and  shrink, 
Be   sure  a  wiser  hand  than   yours  or 
mine 
Pours  out  this  portion  for  our  lips  to 
drink. 
And    if  some  friend  we  love  is  lying 
low. 
Where  human  kisses   cannot  reach 
his  face, 
Oh,  do  not  blame  the  loving  Father  so, 
But  wear  your  sorrow  with  obedient 
grace ! 

And    you    shall    shortly    know     that 
lengthened  breath 
Is  not  the  sweetest  gift  God  sends  His 
friend, 
And  that,  sometimes,  the  sable  pall  of 
death 
Conceals  the  fairest  boon  his  love  can 
send. 
If  we  could  push  a,iar  the  gates  of  life, 
And   stand    within,    and    all    God's 
workings  see, 
We  could  interpret  all  this  doubt  and 
strife, 
And  for  each  mystery  could  find  a 
key. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  305 


Hut  not  to-day.    Then  be  content,  poor 
heart ! 
God's  plans,   like    lUies,    pure    and 
white  unfold; 
We  must  not  tear  the  close-shut  leaves 
apart, 
Time  will  reveal  the  calyxes  of  gold. 


\nd  if,  through  patient   toil,  we  reach 
the  land 
Where  tired  feet,  with  sandals  loose , 
may  rest. 
When  we  shall  clearly  know  and  un- 
derstand, 
I  think  that  we  will  sav,  "  God  knew 
the  best !  " 
A.  I. 

Wormwood -A  plant.  i      To  Commingle -To    mix.     to    unite    -writh 

Sable — ^Black.  1  another  thing. 

Calyx— The  outer  covering  of  a  flower.  I 


OBDURACY. 
I. 

There  is  perhaps  no  more  marked  feature  iu  the  national  character 
of  the  early  Israelites  than  stubbornness  of  disposition.  A  state 
of  bondage  had  left  this  blighting  heirloom,  and  years  elapsed  before 
the  people,  who  during  their  long  apprenticeship  to  slavery  had  been 
amenable  to  brute  force  alone,  could  be  brought  to  yield  to  the  milder 
sway  of  reason  and  reproof.  Yet  had  a  cruel  servitude  rather  de- 
based than  altogether  corrupted  their  moral  nature.  Its  finer 
susceptibilities  had,  indeed,  been  deadened  by  the  iron  rule  to 
which  they  were  so  long  subjected;  nevertheless  they  could  occa- 
sionally be  roused  to  a  sense  of  virtue,  where  the  brighter  side  of 
the  national  character  was  depicted.  But  here  its  darker  pencilings 
must  necessarily  be  most  visible,  since  we  have  to  trace  the  doings  of 
a  people  not  only  sadly  prone  to  evil,  but  who  too  frequently  jDcrsisted 
obdurately  in  their  sinful  course  in  utter  disregard  of  the  remon- 
strances of  their  leader.  Self-willed  and  perverse,  they  rarely  sought 
to  queU  their  um-uly  passions  and  turn  from  their  evil  ways  tiU  they 
had  kindled  God's  just  displeasure  and  brought  on  themselves  the 
chastisement  of  Heaven. 

This  dai-k  outline  we  have  now  to  till  up  with  incidents  j)romi- 
nently  figui-ing  in  the  books  of  Moses,  and  the  first  which  presents 
itself  is  the  murmuring  of  the  people  at  the  waters  of  Marah,  which 
spirit  of  discontent  was  the  more  culpable,  as  they  had  been  but  re- 
cent witnesses  of  God's  miraculous  intei'position  in  their  favor,  as 
we  read,  "And  Israel  saw  the  great  work  which  the  Lord  did  upon 
the  Egyptians,  and  the  j^eople  feared  the  Lord  and  believed  the 
Lord  and  His  servant,  Moses."  Again,  a  fresh  cry  of  discontent 
broke  from  them  iu  the  wilderness  of  Zin,  and  also  at  Mei-ibah,  not- 
withstanding God  had  just  satisfied  their  cravings  by  sending  them 
"  angels'  food."  The  divine  succor  they  thus  repeatedly  received 
no  way  served  to  remove  their  mistrust.  Though  Moses  expostu- 
lated with  them  in  these  words,  "  Your  murmurings  are  not  against 
us,  but  against  the  Lord,"  they  neveii-heless  obdurately  persisted  in 
upbraiding  him,  and  further  tempted  God,  saying:  "Is  the  Lord 

PARI  lit. — 21. 


306  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

among  us  or  not?"  Now,  assuredly,  while  they  could  question  God's 
continual  presence  and  harden  their  hearts  against  proofs  of  His 
superintending  providence,  past  lessons  must  have  been  singularly 
barren  of  good;  indeed,  discontent  surged  up  at  each  new  trial,  and 
revilings  were  continually  heard  in  the  camp.  Well,  indeed,  would 
it  have  been  had  the  evil  stopped  there;  but  the  next  incident  re- 
corded is  of  a  yet  more  painful  character.  The  evident  want  of 
faith  in  God,  and  trust  in  their  leader,  which  the  people  had  mani- 
fested at  repeated  intervals,  took  a  more  tangible  shape  at  the  first 
oppoi'tune  moment.  They  no  longer  confined  themselves  to  mur- 
muring against  the  All  Wise,  but  "  turned  quickly  aside  out  of  the 
way  which  God  commanded  them." 

Although,  jorior  to  the  departure  of  Moses  for  the  ascent  of  jNIount 
Sinai,  they  promised  to  "  do  all  that  the  Lord  had  said,  and  be  obe- 
dient;" although  they  witnessed  "  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  like  a  de- 
vouring tire,  on  the  top  of  the  Mount,"'  yet,  after  the  lapse  of  only  a 
few  weeks,  they  again  turned  aside  from  the  path  of  duty.  Impa- 
tience at  the  absence  of  their  chief  conquered  all  sense  of  fear,  and 
in  a  body  the  jjeople  went  to  Aaron,  and  thus  spake  unto  him,  "Up; 
make  us  gods  which  shall  go  before  us;'  and  having  made  a  molten 
calf,  they  worshiped  it  and  sacrificed  thereunto,  and  said,  "  These 
be  the  gods  which  have  brought  us  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt."  Thus 
it  was  that  when  Moses,  after  an  absence  of  only  forty  days,  again 
apjn-oached  the  camp,  he  found  them  dancing  and  shouting  before 
their  graven  image,  and  enacting  the  vilest  idolatrous  practices. 
Now,  mark  his  prayer  thereon,  "O  Lord,  remember  thy  servants, 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob;  look  not  unto  the  stubbornness  of  this  peo- 
ple, nor  to  their  wickedness,  nor  to  their  sins.''  Truly  they  were 
stiff-necked  and  obdurate,  when  they  neglected  the  counsel  of  their 
great  deliverer  and  jjreserver;  when  they  forsook  the  living  God, 
whose  benefits  and  mercies  they  had  so  long  experienced,  and  yet 
moi-e  so  when  they  wrovight  gods  after  their  own  imaginings,  and 
bowed  before  thein  in  sterile  and  senseless  worship.  Greatly,  in- 
deed, did  such  a  peoj^le  need  such  an  intercessor. 

In  the  incident  which  followed  shortly  after  the  one  just  referred 
to,  the  self-will  and  i:)erverseness  of  the  Israelites  is  especially  marked. 
The  land  of  promise  was  before  them — the  land  which  "  God  had 
given  them  to  jiossess  it.'  They  had  only  to  advance,  as  commanded 
by  Moses,  yet  they  hesitated.  Seized  by  sudden  doubts  and  misgiv- 
ings, they  besought  him  to  send  forth  sjnes  to  search  the  land,  and 
"  bring  word  regarding  it."  Devoid  of  faith  and  holy  trust  in  their 
all-merciful  Guardian,  little  was  needed  to  dismay  them,  and  the 
evil  report  brought  back  by  the  more  timorous  of  these  searchers 
threw  the  people  into  a  state  of  consternation.  Nothing  that  could 
be  advanced  by  the  brave  and  undaunted  men,  Caleb  and  Joshua, 
both  of  whom  accompanied  the  expedition,  nor  the  assurance  given 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  iSliAELlTES.  307 

to  them  by  Moses  that  "the  Lord,  who  goeth  before  you,  He  shall 
fight  for  you,"  wrought  any  change  of  feeling.  "The  whole  congre- 
gation murmiu'ed  against  Moses  and  against  Aaron,  and  said  unto 
them:  "  Would  to  God  that  we  had  died  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  or  in 
the  wilderness."  Nor  did  their  subordination  stop  here,  for  "they 
said,  one  to  another,  Let  us  make  a  captain,  and  let  us  return  into 
Egypt."  Bvit  their  Avillfulness  and  obdui'acy  became  yet  more 
api^arent,  since  the  interposition  of  the  Lord  alone  prevented  them 
from  stoning  the  faithful  Joshua  because  he  thus  mildly  rebuked 
them :  "  Uebel  not  ye  against  the  Lord,  neither  fear  ye  the  people  of 
the  land,  for  they  are  bread  for  us;  their  defence  is  departed  from 
them,  and  the  Lord  is  with  us;  fear  them  not."  Such  perverseness, 
however,  met  its  condign  punishment.  They  who  brought  the  evil 
report  from  Canaan  died  of  the  plague,  while,  notwithstanding  the 
intercession  of  Moses,  all  who  had  murmiu'ed  were  excluded  from 
entering  the  promised  land.  Thus  spoke  the  Lord  in  His  just  anger: 
"Because  all  those  men  who  have  seen  My  glory  and  My  miracles, 
which  I  did  in  Egypt,  and  have  tempted  me  now  these  ten  times,  and 
have  not  hearkened  to  My  voice,  surely  they  shall  not  see  the  land 
which  I  swore  unto  their  fathers.  To-morrow  turn  ye,  and  get  ye  into 
the  wilderness.  Forty  years  shall  ye  bear  your  iniquities.  I,  the  Lord, 
have  said  it;  I  will  surely  do  it  unto  all  this  evil  congregation  that 
are  gathered  together  against  Me;  in  this  wilderness  they  shall  be 
consumed,  and  there  they  shall  die." 

Now,  had  not  this  peoj)le  been  obdurate  beyond  all  belief,  they 
surely  would  have  sought,  by  conforming  to  the  will  of  the  Supreme, 
to  merit  His  ever-renewing  mercies,  and  thereby  possibly  avert  the 
sad  fate  consequent  on  their  past  misconduct.  On  the  contrary, 
however,  they  grew  yet  more  j^erverse.  As  formerly  they  had  been 
timorous  when  they  might  well  have  felt  themselves  safe  under  the 
protection  of  the  wing  of  Omnipotence,  they  now  believed  themselves 
secure  when,  indeed,  they  had  many  causes  for  apprehension.  Far 
from  turning  back  at  the  distinct  command  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
they  determined  on  acting  in  direct  violation  of  His  will  by  advanc- 
ing to  attack  their  formidable  enemy.  Little  regard  did  they  pay 
to  their  leadei',  who  thus  addressed  them  in  God's  name:  "Go  not 
up,  for  the  Lord  is  among  you,  that  ye  be  not  smitten  before  your 
enemies;  wherefore,  now,  do  ye  transgress  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord,  but  it  shall  not  prosper."  With  rebellion  at  their  hearts, 
they  were  not  to  be  deterred;  but  "they  went  up  presumptuously 
against  the  Amorites,  who  chased  them  as  bees,"  defeating  them 
with  great  slaughter.  Now,  during  the  forty  years  longer  they  were 
thus  doomed  to  abide  in  the  wilderness,  they  too  frequently  diso- 
beyed the  word  of  the  Lord  by  uniting  themselves  with  siu-rounding 
nations  and  bowing  down  before  their  gods  in  idol  worship.  Fresh 
trials  followed,  but  their  stubborn  spirit  remained  unsubdued,  and 


308  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

indeed  no  radical  reform  in  their  character  could  have  been  effected 
even  at  the  close  of  their  long  wanderings,  else  Moses  would  not 
have  addressed  them  thus:  "Hear,  O  Israel,  not  for  thy  righteous- 
ness, or  for  the  uprightness  of  thy  heart,  dost  thou  go  to  possess 
this  land,  but  for  the  wickedness  of  these  nations  the  Lord  thy  God 
doth  drive  them  out  from  before  thee,  and  that  He  may  perfonn 
the  word  which  the  Lord  sware  unto  thy  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob," 

This  is  truly  a  dark  pictui-e  to  draw,  but  how  can  it  be  otherwise 
when  obduracy  and  stiff-neckedness  have  to  be  held  up  to  view  ? 
Had  the  early  Israelites  only  shown  the  same  dogged  determination 
to  adhere  to  the  right  path  as  they  had  manifested  in  the  pursuance 
of  evil  courses,  such  decision  and  stabilit}^  of  character  would  have 
proved  truly  valuable  qualities,  deserving  the  highest  commendation. 
Desirable,  however,  as  this  would  have  been,  yet,  was  it  to  be  ex- 
pected of  them  ?  Assuredly  not.  A  hard,  unbending  spiiit,  born  of 
and  long  fostered  by  a  cruel  bondage,  was  Httle  hkely  to  lend  itself 
to  good,  more  especially  as  several  concurrent  circumstances  worked 
in  an  adverse  direction.  Such,  for  example,  was  even  the  very  boon 
of  freedom.  An  ignorant  people,  burning  with  ardent  desires,  thirst- 
ing after  the  pleasures  of  sense,  could  but  regard  their  sudden  Hbera- 
tion  fi'om  thraldom  as  a  fitting  opportunity  for  those  gratifications 
which  had  been  so  long  denied  them  ;  the  rebound  was  indeed  aU 
the  more  violent  from  the  low  and  prostrate  condition  into  which 
they  had  fallen.  They  did  not  even  seek  to  control  their  hopes,  nor 
could  they  calmly  brook  any  impediment  which  stayed  them  in  the 
way  to  the  promised  land,  "flowing  with  milk  and  honey."  Any 
occurrence  retarding  the  fulfillment  of  their  sanguine  expectations, 
roused  at  once  a  strong  spirit  of  discontent.  They  reflected  not,  or 
at  least  gave  no  heed  to  the  reflection,  that  their  all-gracious  De- 
liverer and  Protector  well  knew  what  would  most  conduce  to  their 
welfare  ;  they  willfully  ignored  the  i^enance  they  were  to  undergo  by 
God's  all-just  decree,  and  thence  chafed  at  each  new  trial,  each  priva- 
tion, nor  could  they  be  brought  to  bow  before  His  wise  dispensa- 
tions in  a  resigned  and  tranquil  spirit.  Now,  had  they  regarded 
their  moral  rather  than  physical  progress,  and  followed  the  path  of 
virtue  to  the  desired  goal,  then  assuredly  they  would  never  have 
rebelled,  nor  seen  the  frustration  of  their  sanguine  hopes.  The  cir- 
cumstances, however,  which  worked  them  most  evil  was  the  proximity 
of  idolatrous  nations,  who  sought  by  every  possible  device  to  inveigle 
and  seduce  them  from  the  worship  of  the  One  only  God.  Every  in- 
toxicating temptation  which  could  rouse  their  worst  passions  was 
held  up  before  them,  and  they  but  too  soon  learned  to  prefer  these 
orgies,  which  formed  part  of  the  rites  of  idol  worship,  to  the  pure, 
calm  delights  which  their  own  religion  was  calculated  to  afford.  In 
the  paroxysms  of  their  mad  passions  all  holy  and  spiritual  feelings 


JH^OR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  309 

lost  their  attractions,  Avliile  the  licentious  and  material  reigned 
supreme.  Becoming  thus  a  prey  to  their  lower  instincts,  they  rushed 
wildly  on,  abandoning  themselves  to  every  sensxial  indulgence. 

Now,  withal,  and  this  is  a  bright  spot  in  the  history  of  the  Israelites, 
they  were  reclaimable.  Not  wholly  lost  to  a  sense  of  the  right,  like 
the  idolators  who  ensnared  them,  they  could  be  brought  to  hearken 
to  reproof.  Obdurate  and  stiff-necked  as  they  were,  they  yet  made 
spasmodic  effoi-ts  after  self-restraint,  and  occasionally  with  some  suc- 
cess. Indeed,  had  they  not  the  All-merciful  for  their  help  and  guide? 
He  never  failed  to  school  the  children  of  his  love,  and  althovigh  He 
had  again  and  again  to  reprove  them  through  His  sei-vant  Moses, 
because  of  their  obstinacy.  He  never  forsook  them,  nor  shut  his 
ear  to  their  cry.  Faulty  as  were  His  chosen  people.  He,  in  His  wis- 
dom, must  not  only  have  seen  in  them  many  redeeming  qualities, 
but  also  have  deemed  them  fitted  to  fulfiU  His  gracious  pui-pose. 
Indeed,  the  Avords  of  Moses,  in  one  of  his  last  addresses  to  the 
Israelites,  lead  infallibly  to  this  conclusion.  After  exhorting  to 
obedience,  and  bidding  them  "utterly  destroy  the  idolatrous  na- 
tions which  were  to  be  delivered  into  their  hands,  to  burn  their 
graver!  images,  and  make  no  intermarriages,"  he  adds:  "For  thou 
art  an  holy  people  unto  the  Lord  thy  God ;  He  hath  chosen  thee  to 
be  a  special  people  unto  Himself.  He  did  not  set  His  love  upon  you 
because  ye  were  more  in  number  than  any  peojole,  for  ye  were  the 
fewest  of  all  people,  but  because  the  Lord  loved  you;  and  because  He 
would  keep  His  oath  which  He  had  sworn  to  your  fathers."  Wholly 
corrupt  or  iniquitous  they  could  not  possibly  have  been,  thus  to 
have  gained  God's  all-gracious  love.  But  yet  more  was  required  of 
them ;  they  were  to  be  a  holy  people,  thence  the  moral  training,  the 
rude  discipline,  to  which  they  were  subjected  during  their  long 
sojourn  in  the  wilderness.  Nor  did  this  schoolnig  fail  to  accomplish 
its  purpose  ;  indeed,  the  very  hardness  and  inflexibility  which  charac- 
terized the  Israelitish  nation  became  alike  a  virtue  and  a  shield  in 
succeeding  generations,  forming  an  everlasting  bulwark  to  their  im- 
perishable faith. 

Were  it  not  that  the  distinguished  traits  of  obduracy  are  as  re- 
pugnant as  they  are  marked,  there  could  be  no  possible  difficulty  in 
detecting  them  both  in  ourselves  and  others,  but  if  the  natural 
aversion  they  inspire  does  not  always  suffice  to  make  them  shunned, 
it  will  at  all  events  induce  their  withdrawal  into  the  darkest  recesses 
of  the  heart  till  they  can  issue  forth  to  the  light  of  day,  either  so 
guarded  as  to  escape  observation,  or  so  disguised  as  to  pass  for  vir- 
tues. Now,  the  knowledge  that  the  hateful  and  rej)ulsive  features 
which  characterized  obdui'acy  can  be  thus  masked  might  well  suf- 
fice to  induce  a  vigorous  inward  search,  and  so  whet  our  sagacity  as 
to  enable  us  to  trace  to  its  fount  each  questionable  passion,  each 
sentiment  of  the  mind.     But  for  this  purpose  it  is  essential  we  should 


310  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

learn  to  know  in  what  obduracy  consists;  and  may  we  doubt  tliat  it 
consists  in  a  resolute  persistence  in  wrong- doing,  or,  in  its  mildest 
form,  in  a  laxity  of  principle  frequently  growing  into  a  confirmed 
liabit  or  temper  of  mind.  And,  again,  it  is  characterized  by  a  willful 
shutting  of  the  mental  eye  to  the  blessings  and  mercies  which  are 
"  new  every  morning,"  and  by  lending  a  too  ready  ear,  on  the  one 
hand,  to  the  voice  of  sensuality,  which,  making  us  the  slaves  of  our 
selfish  passions,  draws  us  fi'om  our  God;  and  on  the  other,  to  prompt- 
ings of  pride,  which  tempts  us  to  rebel  against  the  majesty  of  Heaven, 
and  set  at  defiance  God's  holy  law,  our  reason,  and  the  admonitions 
of  conscience.  Indeed,  obduracy  takes  its  firmest  root  in  the  de- 
praved and  unfeeling  heart,  which,  hearkening  only  to  its  ovra  vile 
imaginings,  its  evil  inclinations,  and  selfish  desires,  will,  without 
scruple  or  comj^unction,  seduce  others  to  wrong,  thereby  darkening 
their  future  with  sorrow  and  shame  ;  while  it  also  flourishes  in  the 
feiiile  soil  of  the  stunted  and  uneducated  mind  which  seeks  not,  but 
rather  shuns,  the  light  of  truth,  and  resists  the  force  of  argument, 
the  teachings  of  virtue  and  religion.  Now,  once  impressed  with  the 
conviction  that  obduracy  is  a  willful  deflection  of  the  mind  fi-om  the 
paths  of  justice  and  righteousness,  also  a  hardening  of  the  heart  to 
moral  principles  and  right  feelings,  we  shall  surely  never  be  likely 
to  mistake  it  for  firmness,  which  is  the  true  fiiend  and  stay  of  every 
virtue,  and,  therefore,  itself  a  virtue.  This  indeed  is  a  most  valuable 
quality,  and  the  indisjDensable  foundation  of  all  great  and  good  deeds. 
Born  of  right  principles,  it  will  lead  its  possessor  steadily  and 
tenaciously  to  resist  any  deviation  therefrom;  it  will  keep  him  fi-om 
trimming  between  God's  will  and  his  own  inclinations;  it  will  cause 
him  resolutely  and  courageously  to  overcome  every  unruly  impulse 
and  temptation,  while  it  will  enable  him  in  a  noble,  lofty,  and  gener- 
ous spirit  to  throw  his  whole  strength  of  volition  into  those  duties 
which  devolve  on  him  in  relation  to  his  fellow-man  and  his  Creator. 

On  proceeding  next  to  consider  the  cause  of  obduracy,  we  find  yet 
further  evidence  of  the  dissimilarity  and  antagonism  which  exist 
between  it  and  firmness,  or  resolution,  for  w^liich  it  but  too  frequently 
passes  current ;  nay,  more,  since  firmness  consists  in  a  resolute  re- 
sistance of  evil,  while  obduracy  is  a  willful  j)ersistence  in  sin,  it  is  self- 
evident  that  the  latter  could  have  no  existence  if  the  mind  and  heart 
had  remained  unsullied  through  the  sway  of  the  former.  Indeed, 
we  have  sown  the  first  seeds  of  obduracy  in  our  breast  when  we  per- 
mit one  gviilty  jjassion  to  gain  supremacy  over  principle  and  duty.  It 
is,  therefore,  to  infirmity  of  jDurpose,  or  want  of  resolute  will  to  cope 
vdtli  sin,  itself  so  j^eculiarl}'  hardening,  that  we  must  infallibly  trace 
the  primary  cause  of  this  signal  defect.  Nor  do  its  baneful  efiects 
stop  here,  for  it  engenders  a  spirit  of  procrastination  which  seriously 
impedes  all  reform.  Though  conscience  may  tell  us  we  are  gravitat- 
ing to  ill,  and  that  sin  is  becoming  habitual,  Ave,  nevertheless,  through 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  311 

its  agency,  find  ourselves  ever  resolving  an  amendment,  yet  never 
accomplishing  it,  while  becoming  more  and  more  callous  under  this 
system  of  self-deceit.  Another  cause  is  an  insufficient  or  defective 
training  of  the  youthful  heart.  When  the  loftier  impulses  are  not 
cultivated,  baser  passions  will  assuredly  attain  luxurious  growth  ; 
the  greed  of  gain  and  abuse  of  this  world's  pleasures  will  warp  it 
from  the  right,  the  true,  the  holy.  If  lively  gratitude  to  God  be  not 
made  the  predominant  sentiment  of  the  mind,  softening,  refining, 
and  exalting  it,  unruly  desires  will  enter,  and  usher  in  with  them 
temptations;  selfish  indulgence  will  quickly  follow,  the  sense  of  virtue  - 
and  religion  be  speedily  effaced  and  banished,  and  the  heart,  neces- 
sarily hardening,  will  finally  petrify  into  obduracy. 


II. 

How  to  prevent,  check;  or  cure  so  deadly  a  malady  of  the  soul 
forms  another  important  matter  for  consideration.  If  we  will  but  early 
implant  virtuous  principles  in  the  mind,  and  give  to  it  a  fixedness  of 
purpose,  based  on  a  love  of  rectitude,  and  a  love  of  God,  we  shall 
surely  have  accomplished  our  aim;  moral  firmness  in  youth  utterly 
precluding  obduracy  in  manhood.  But  if  perchance  the  foundation 
of  virtue  has  been  shaken,  and  we  have  not  been  altogether  proof  to 
the  seductions  of  sense,  the  nmust  we  set  oui'selves  sedulously  to  the 
task  of  viprooting  the  evil  projoensities,  and  checking  the  distem- 
pers thus  engendered.  And  here  Ave  must  bear  in  mind  that  there 
should  be  no  delay,  no  deferring  to  a  futvire  day ;  no  one  becomes  en- 
tirely profligate  at  once.  We  deviate  step  by  step  fi'om  the  path  of 
virtue,  and  only  by  resolutely  staying  our  downward  course  at  an 
early  stage,  and  directing  our  thoughts  upward,  may  we  hope  to  es- 
cape fi'om  the  perilous  position  in  which  we  have  placed  ourselves. 
If,  however,  unhappily  through  procrastination  or  stubbornness,  we 
have  persisted  in  wrong  doing,  to  the  prejudice  of  our  moral  health, 
and  di'ank  freely  from  the  poisoned  cup  of  intoxicating  pleasures,  let 
us  remember  while  there  be  yet  time  that  through  God's  infinite 
mercy  we  may  find  an  antidote  in  penitence,  a  cure  through  contri- 
tion and  amendment.  And  surely  what  will  not  sincere  repentance 
effect  for  us !  On  each  approach  to  the  throne  of  God  in  pi-ayer,  the 
heart  will  sensibly  soften,  so  that  obduracy  will  be  finally  subdued, 
and  w^e  shall  turn  again  with  delight  to  the  path  marked  out  in  that 
holy  law,  which  He  gave  for  the  guidance  and  the  good  of  his 
creatures.  Heeding  the  soft  voice  of  the  conscience  rather  than  the 
logic  of  vice,  which  declares,  "I  have  done  it  once  with  impunity,  so 
I  may  do  it  again,"  we  shall  resolutely  abstain  in  the  future  from 
violating  its  dictates,  though  hitherto  no  ill  results  may  have  fol- 
lowed therefrom;  indeed,  having  once  strayed  from  the  straight  line 
of  virtue,  duty  and  religion,  we  should  the  more  sedulously  keep  in 
view  that  heavenly  bliss  to  which  they  point,  and  placing  our  de- 


313  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

pendence    on  God,  pursue   the  path  of  right   manfully,  hopefully. 
And  here  it  is  essential  to  remark  that  there  can  be  no  jjermanent 
reform  without  such  dependence,  coupled  as  it  must  ever  be  with  a 
keen  jjerception  of  God's  glorious  attributes.      The  obduracy  which 
pride  and  ingratitude  engender   is  indeed  only  to  be  subdued  and 
conquered  by  a  sense  of  our  weak  and  erring  nature,  by  a  thorough 
belief  in  God's  goodness,  His  omniscience.  His  never-failing  justice. 
Let  us  but  see  and  acknowledge  our  own  weakness,  and  then  shall 
we  feel  how  great  has  been  God's  forbearance;  the  heart  will  soften 
into  love  at  the  thought  of  His  goodness.  His  fostering  care,  His 
solicitude  for  oiu*  well-being,  and  we  shall  be  led  to  submit  cheer- 
fully to  that  restraint  of  our  passions  which  He,  in  his  wisdom,  im- 
poses for  the  general  welfare.       Besides,  the  consciousness  that  His 
all-seeing  eye  is  watching  over  us  with  fatherly    tenderness  must 
further  tend  to  curb  all  rash  presumption,  and  check  us  in  the  com- 
mission of  evil.     But  should  the  thoughts  of  our  own  unwoiihiness 
or  of  God's  benign  attributes  be  j^owerless  to  subdue  our  obdiu-acy 
and  kindle  love,  then  may  He,  in  His  mercy,  work  on   our  hearts 
through  the  sense  of  fear.       He   will   possibly   force  on  our  minds 
the  conviction  that  none  may  willfully  disobey  His  holy  law  or  ob- 
durately resist  His  all-wise  decrees  without  incuiTing  a  fearful  penalty. 
Indeed,  though  slow  to  anger.  He  yet  holds  the  scales  of  justice  with 
an  equal  hand,  and  will  not  suffer  the  sinner  to  escape  the  chastise- 
ment due  to  his   misdeeds.      With   the   object   of   promoting   this 
salutary  conviction,  we  shall  pass  in  review  some  few  of  the  numerous 
ills,  mental  as  well  as  jDhysical,  which  are  inseparable  from  a  course 
of  vice.  Foremost,  and  possibly  not  the  least  distressing  to  the  mind, 
is  the  sense  of  self-abasement;  indeed,  so  powerful  is  this  feeling  in 
the  yet  unhardened  .heart,  that  if  it  be  not  made  to  subserve  the 
cause  of  virtue  and  reform,  it  will  assuredly  enlist  on  the  side  of  evil, 
and  hurry  its  ready  victim  Avith  ever-increasing  celerity  to  the  brink 
of  moral  j^ei'dition.     Then,  as  sin  gains  upon  us,  and  headstrong 
passions  obtain   ascendancy,  we  shall  find  our  jjhysical  powers  and 
mental  faculties  impaired;  conscience,  which  cannot  always  slumber, 
will  at  times  make  its  w^arning  voice  heard,  and  rob  us  even  of  those 
fleeting  j^leasures  for  which  we  have  toiled  and  sacrificed   so  much. 
Each  fresh  day,  however,  given  to  dissipation,  will  make  the  appeals 
of  the  inward  monitor  less  audible,  and  boAving  under  the  yoke  of 
sin,  the  heart  will  harden,  and  be  drawn  further  and  further  from  its 
God.     Now,  how  deplorable  is  the    condition   of  him  who,  running 
counter  to  the  will  of  the  Suj^reme,  has  ever  to  dread  the  show  of 
His  displeasure  !     Can,  indeed,  that  man  know  aught  of  happiness 
or  peace,  who  sets  himself  in  oi:)position  to  the  will  of  his  Creator  ? 
Must  he  not  feel  how  abortive  will  be  all  his  plans;   how  vain  and 
fruitless  his  desires;  how  certainly  disappointment  and  misery  will 
attend  on  his  senseless  folly  and  disobedience?       Must  not  the  con- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  313 

viction  often  flash  across  his  mind  that  any  evil  committed  recoils 
on  the  wrong  doer,  and  that  sure  retribution  awaits  him  who,  taking 
advantage  of  the  liberty  God  has  given,  rebels  against  His  itile, 
perversely  wronging  his  own  nature,  and  injuring  his  fellow  mortals? 

Let,  then,  those  who  make  pleasure  the  business  of  life — who 
tamper  with  vice,  and  permit  the  coil  of  sin  to  encircle  the  heart — 
stop  short  before  "  their  cui)  of  iniquity  is  full,"  and,  through  a 
moral  reform  and  heartfelt  repentance,  stay  the  wrath  of  the  infi- 
nitely merciful  Loixl,  and  avert  the  dire  consequences  incidental 
to  the  violations  of  His  laws.  Let  them  set  themselves  to  the  stern 
duty  of  self-correction  before  their  misconduct  and  misdeeds  call 
down  upon  them  correction  from  above.  This  hopeful  step  once 
taken,  a  happy  consummation  will  assuredly  not  be  far  distant. 
Learning  to  heed  their  spiritual  interests,  and  remembering  that  God 
has  offered  heaven  as  a  reward  for  virtue  and  piety,  thej^  will  reso- 
lutely reject  all  such  seductive  pleasures  as  render  the  heart 
callous  and  obdurate,  while  they  will  gratefully  seek  and  keep 
steadily  in  view  these  guardians  of  all  true  honor  and  peace  of 
mind;  these  assured  friends  to  happiness  here,  these  faithful  pioneers 
to  the  blessed  realms  above. 

But  if  the  precepts  and  teaching  of  Holy  Writ  bearing  on  this  sub- 
ject be  not  heeded,  then  will  most  surely  follow  the  sad  consequences 
of  which  Scripture  so  emphatically  forewarns  us. 

III. 

The  later  portion  of  the  history  of  the  Israelites  now  to  be  con- 
sidered, and  which  commences  with  Joshua  and  the  Judges,  offers 
many  a   strong  contrast  with  that  which  preceded  it,  yet  none  is 
more  striking  than  their  improved  moral   condition.     Their   wan- 
derings, extended  over  a   lengthened  period,  and  accompanied  with 
much  suffering  and  many  privations,  had  been  prolific  of  good,  as 
trials  proceeding  from   Almighty   goodness    should  ever  be.     Not 
only  had  the  national   character  gradually  improved  under  reproof 
and   chastisement,  but,  further,  the  rising  generation,  had    wisely 
profited  by  the  errors  and  misconduct  of  their  fathers,  and  taken 
salutary   warning   fi"om   the   examples  afforded  by  the  backsliding 
propensities  of  their  benighted  parents.       For  Undoubted  evidence 
of  this  we  have  only  to  turn  to  the  book  of  Joshua.     Throughout  its 
pages  no  single  instance  of  idolatrous  worship  is  recounted,  nor  one 
trait  of  that  obduracy  which   in  the   past  had  been  so  prominent 
a  feature  in  the  conduct  of  the  entire  people;  indeed,  rebellion  and 
contumacy  had  become  most  hateful  to  them,  and  was  made  punish- 
able with  death.     In  its  place,  however,  happily  figured  its  counter- 
part, firmness  of  will  ever   displaying   itself  in   a  staunch   adher- 
ence to  the  right.       Thus  schooled,  tiius  tempered,   this  defect  of 
character  had  not  only  become  a  powerful  auxiliary  to  virtue,  but  had 


314  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

actually  grown  into  a  virtue  itself.  Here,  then, we  have  a  people  whom 
God  deemed  fitted  to  enter  into,  inherit  and  enjoy  the  good  land  of 
promise,  the  land  for  which  they  did  not  labor,cities  to  dwell  in  which 
they  did  not  build,  vineyards  and  oliveyards  from  which  they  might 
eat,  but  planted  not.  They  coiild  appreciate  the  rich  blessings 
vouchsafed  by  the  Lord  in  a  grateful  spirit  and  partake  of  his  bounty 
without  in  any  way  abusing  it.  Not  to  them,  as  to  their  stiff-necked 
fathers,  could  apply  the  words  of  Moses,  "  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and 
kicked."  They  repaid  not  God's  benefits  with  rebellion,  but  with 
gratitude,  and  during  "  all  the  days  of  Joshua  and  all  the  days  of  the 
elders  that  outlived  Joshua,  they  served  the  Lord." 

In  the  next  book,  that  of  Judges,  the  histoiT  of  Israel  again  en- 
ters into  one  of  its  darker  phases.  With  the  new  generation  a 
great  change  for  the  worse  occurred.  Their  fathers,  though  serving 
the  Lord  with  all  their  hearts,  had  overlooked  or  disregarded  one 
important  part  of  the  commandment  given  by  God  through 
his  servant  Moses.  Although  they  had  themselves  kept  "the 
statutes  and  judgments  of  the  Lord,  '  they  did  not  "  teach 
them  diligently  unto  their  children,  and  to  their  sons'  sons."  For 
proof  of  this  we  have  only  to  refer  to  the  book  of  Judges  itself, 
where  we  w'ill  soon  perceive  that  this  omission  of  duty  was  indeed  a 
sad  and  fatal  error  on  the  part  of  the  parents.  Their  neglect  of  one 
of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Mosaic  code  was  indeed  rife 
w^th  evil  consequences  to  their  progeny,  and  to  it  must  we,  in  a 
gi-eat  measure,  attribute  their  early  fall  iuto  idolatry, with  the  subse- 
quent relapses  of  each  new  generation  throughout  the  whole  rule  of 
the  Judges,  lasting  some  three  hundred  years,  as  also  their  succes- 
sive conflicts  with  surrounding  nations,  their  many  calamities  and 
trials.  And  assuredly  it  would  hardly  be  possible  that  a  people  who 
had  never  been  taught  either  to  love  or  fear  God,  who  had  never 
been  led  to  feel  how  closely  blended  were  mercy  and  justice  in  His 
all-wise  dispensations,  could  altogether  resist  the  contaminating 
influence  and  example  of  idolatrous  neighbors.  But,  though  they 
succumbed  before  the  temptations  held  out  to  them,  and  for- 
sook God  and  the  right  path,  they  were  brought  speedily  back  to 
the  Lord  and  His  holy  worship,  on  being  subjected  to  chastisement  or 
even  reproof.  Indeed,  those  generations,  criminal  though  they  were 
at  times,  never  displayed  the  inveterate  obduracy  which  had  char- 
acterized their  progenitors;  and  when  we  consider  they  had  not, 
like  them,  been  witnesses  of  God's  miraculous  workings,  or  been 
made  sensible  of  His  immediate  presence,  through  ocvdar  demonstra- 
tions, we  must  clearly  see  that  a  decided  improvement  in  the 
national  character  had  taken  place.  Knowing  much  less  of  the  All- 
merciful,  they  were  nevertheless  far  more  easily  brought  to  bow 
down  humbly  before  Him,  and  conform  to  His  gracious  will.  In- 
stances of  this,  as  of  the  heartfelt  repentance  of  the  people,  were  rife 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  315 

under  the  rule  of  those  noble  patriots  and  national  deliverers  who 
figured  in  their  history  as  judges. 

We  may  now,  however,  turn  not  only  to  a  brighter,  l^ut  even  a 
bright  era  in  the  history  of  the  Israelites.  The  alternations  which 
lasted  throughout  the  whole  period  of  the  Judges  had  not  been 
profitless;  indeed,  during  their  long  rule  the  higher  and  nobler 
qualities  of  the  entire  nation  were  in  course  of  development,  and 
when  it  drew  to  its  close  the  national  character  was  altogether  less 
faulty,  even  giving  promise  of  future  moral  excellence.  Neverthe- 
less, the  national  failing  had  not  unhappily  become  entirely  extinct, 
and  through  the  misrule  of  Samuel's  sons  they  left  the  right  path, 
became  weary  of  their  judges,  and  thence  sought  occasion  to  urge 
him  to  institute  a  monarchial  form  of  government.  They  would 
not  any  further  hearken  to  the  gloomy  predictions  of  their  able  seer, 
who  could  not  deter  them  from  following  the  bent  of  their  inclina- 
tions. "What  cared  the}'  in  their  stubborness  and  self-will  for  the 
prophecy:  "Ye  shall  cry  out  on  that  day  because  of  your  king 
which  ye  shall  have  chosen,  and  the  Lord  will  not  hear  you  in  that 
day."  Heedless  of  after  consequences,  they  refused  to  obey  the 
voice  of  the  Lord,  and  said :  "  Nay,  but  we  will  have  a  king  over 
us,  that  we  also  may  be  like  the  other  nations." 

Now,  willful  as  was  such  condvict,  it  formed  a  solitary  excep- 
tion; indeed,  throughout  the  reign  of  Saul,  whom  Samuel  presented 
to  them  for  their  king,  and  also  during  that  of  David,  who  succeeded 
him  on  the  throne,  and  likewise  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  his 
son  Solomon,  not  even  one  instance  of  obduracy  or  defection  stands 
recorded.  Truly,  these  were  palmy  days  for  the  Israelites,  and  this  the 
brightest  era  in  their  history.  When,  alas!  Solomon,  their  king, 
impiously  disregarding  the  injunction  of  the  Lord,  caused  that  fatal 
blight  to  fall  upon  the  Israelites,  of  which  they  had  been  forewarned 
by  Samuel,  and  though  during  the  reign  of  some  of  their  good 
kings  its  evil  influence  was  sensibly  lessened,  it  was  never  entirely 
dissipated,  but  finally  gained  such  intensity  as  at  times  to  deaden 
the  heart  of  the  nation,  and  depress  their  moral  condition  to  nearly 
as  low  an  ebb  as  that  of  their  dej^raved  and  sinful  neighbors.  In- 
deed, their  subsequent  history  is  again  cf  the  darkest  hue,  and  the 
incalculable  evils  foretold  by  the  venerable  seer  came  thick  uj^on 
them.  They  followed  their  evil  courses,  while  idolatry  had,  indeed, 
hardened  their  hearts,  and  rendered  them  as  obdurate  as  they  were 
criminal.  Numerable  proofs  of  this  are  manifested  throughout  the 
writings  of  the  prophets,  which  furnish  us  with  the  last  portion  of 
the  history  of  the  Israelites,  a  j^eriod  no  less  sad  than  eventful. 
Unhappily,  all  the  efibrts  of  these  brave  spirits  proved  of  no  avail. 
Thus,  though  many  a  "  physician  in  Gilead  "  dispensed  balsams  of 
wondrous  efficacy,  the  moral  leprosy  still  remained  unhealed; 
although  the  prophets  were  gifted  with  all  the  eloquence  of  truth^ 


316 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


though  tired  by  the  keenest  solicitude  for  the  well-being  of  the 
nation,  their  words  were  powerless  to  work  any  permanent  change 
in  the  hearts  of  corrupt  kings  and  a  hardened*  people ;  obduracy 
ever  stood  as  an  impassable  barrier  between  them.  Yet  how  sedu- 
lously these  prophets  of  the  Lord  sought  to  impress  the  entire  nation 
with  a  sense  of  God's  goodness  and  justice,  how  earnestly  they  strove 
to  bring  the  people  to  repentance  and  reformation,  may  best  be 
judged  from  their  several  writings. 

Then  came  their  great  calamity,  their  signal  chastisement.  Nebu- 
chadnezzar besieged  the  famine-stricken  city  of  Jerusalem  till  it  was 
destroyed;  the  king  was  made  prisoner,  and  afterward  cruelly 
tortured;  the  nobles  and  the  people,  old  and  young,  were  put  to 
the  sword  or  taken  captive ;  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Lord 
and  of  all  the  kingdom  were  appropriated;  finally  the  Temple  and 
palaces  were  burned,  and  the  walls  of  the  city  broken  down. 

Thus  did  G-od's  attributes  of  long-enduring  mercy  and  fatherly  ten- 
derness finally  yield  before  His  no  less  fixed  and  certain  attribute  of 
strict  justice.  For  three  score  and  ten  years  had  the  Israelites  to 
drink  from  the  cup  of  God's  wrath,  and  in  a  long,  sorrowful,  ignomini- 
ous captivity  expiate  their  past  criminality,  their  j)ei'\^erseness  and 
obduracy.  J.  L.  Mocatta. 


J.  L.  Mocatta,  an  eminent  merchant,  residing  in  London,  England,  and  well  known  for 
Ms  benevolence  and  untiring  exertions  for  the  amelioration  of  the  Jewish  poor  of  the 
metropolis. 


Obduracy — Hardness  of  heart. 

To  Bbook — To  bear;  to  endure. 

Penance— Infliction,  as  an  expression  of 
repentance  for  sin. 

Orgies— Mad  rites  of  Bacchus. 

Paroxysm — A  fit  {disease). 

Licentious —Unrestrained  by  law  or  mo- 
rality. 

Spasmodic — Convulsive ;  violent. 

Iniquitous — Unjust;   wicked. 

Compunction — Contrition,  pity,  repentance. 


To  Stunt— To  hinder  from  growth. 
Deflection — A  turning  out  of  the  way. 
Volition' — The  act  of  willing. 
Procrastination- Delay. 
Petrify — To  change  to  stone. 
Antidote — Medicine  against  poison. 
Logic— The  art  of  using  reason  well  in  our 
inquiries  after  truth. 

Contumacy — Perverseness. 
1      To  Contaminate— To  defile ;  to  corrupt. 


THE  HEBEEW. 


A  Hebrew  knelt  in  the  dying  light, 

His  eyes  were  dim  and  cold, 

The  hairs  on  his  brow  were  silver- white, 

And  his  blood  was  thin  and  old! 

He  lifted  his  look  to  his  latest  sun, 

For  he    knew  that  his   pilgrimage  was 

done. 
And  as  he  saw  God's  shadow  there, 
His  spirit  poured  itself  in  prayer! 
"  I  come  unto  death's  second  birth, 
Beneath  a  stranger  air, 
A  pilgrim  on  a  dull,  cold  earth. 
As  all  my  fathers  were! 
And  men  have  stamped  me  with  a  curse, 
I  feel  it  is  not  Thine, 


Thy  mercy — like  yon  sun — was  made 

On  me — as  them — to  shine; 

And,  therefore,  dare  I  lift  mine  eye, 

Through  that,  to  Thee — before  I  die! 

In  this  great  temple  built  by  Thee, 

Whose  altars  are  divine. 

Beneath  yon  lamp,  that  ceaselessly 

Lights  up  Thine  own  true  shrine. 

Oh!  take  my  latest  sacrifice, 

Look  down ,  and  make  this  sod 

Holy  as  that  where  long  ago 

The  Hebrew  met  his  God  ! 

I  have  not  caused  the  widow's  tears, 

Nor  dimmed  the  orphan's  eye, 

I  have  not  stained  the  virgin's  years, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


nil 


Nor  mocked  the  mourner's  cry; 

The  songs  of  Zion  in  mine  ear 

Have  ever  been  most  sweet, 

And  always  when  I  felt  Thee  near, 

My  '  shoes '  were  'off  my  feet  !' 

I  have  known  Thee  in  the  whirlwind, 

I  have  known  Thee  on  the  hill, 

I  have  loved  Thee  in  the  voice  of  birds, 

Or  the  music  of  the  rill. 

I  dreamt  Thee  in  the  shadow, 

I  saw  Thee  in  the  light, 

I  heard  Thee  in  the  thunder  peal, 

And  worshiped  in  the  night! 

All  beauty  while  it  spoke  of  Thee, 

Still  made  my  soul  rejoice, 

And  my  spirit  bowed  within  itself, 

To  hear  Thy  "  still  small  voice ! " 

I  have  not  felt  myself  a  thing 

Far  from  Thy  presence  driven. 

By  flaming  sword  or  warring  wing, 

Shut  out  from  Thoe  and  heaven! 

Must  I  the  whirlwind  reap,  because 

My  fathers  sowed  the  storm, 

Or  shrink — because  another  sinned — 

Beneath  Thy  red  right  arm  V 

Oh,  much  of  this  we  dimly  scan. 

And  much  is  all  unknown — 

But  I  will  not  take  my  curse  from  man 

I  turn  to  Thee  alone  ! 

Oh,  bid  my  fainting  spirit  live, 

And  what  is  dark  reveal. 

And  what  is  evil,  oh,  forgive. 

And  what  is  broken  heal. 

And  cleanse  my  nature  from  above 

In  the  deep  Jordan  of  Thy  love! 

I  know  not  if  the  Christian's  heaven 

Shall  be  the  same  as  mine; 

I  only  ask  to  be  forgiven. 

And  taken  home  to  Thine! 

I  weary  on  a  far,  dim  strand. 

Whose  mansions  are  as  tombs, 

And  long  to  find  the  father-land, 


Where  there  are  many  homes  ! 

Oh,  grant  of  all  yon  starry  thrones. 

Some  dim  and  distant  star. 

Where  Judah's  last  and  scattered  sons 

May  love  Thee  from  afar! 

When  all  earth's  myriad  harps  shall 

meet 
In  choral  praise  or  prayer. 
Shall  Zion's  harp — of  old  so  sweet — 
Alone  be  wanting  there  ? 
Yet  place  me  in  Thy  lowest  seat, 
Though  1 — as  now — be  there, 
The   Christian's  scorn,  the    Christian's 

jest; 
But  let  me  see  and  hear 
From  some  dim  mansion  in  the  sky, 
Thy  bright  on6s  and  their  melody." 

The  sun  goes  down  with  sudden  gleam. 

And  beautiful  as  a  lovely  dream. 

And  silently  as  air 

The  vision  of  a  dark-eyed  girl, 

With  long  and  raven  hair, 

Glides  in  as  guardian  spirits  glide — 

And  lo!  is  kneeling  by  his  side. 

As  if  her  sudden  presence  there 

Were  sent  in  answer  to  his  prayer. 

Oh!  say  they  not  that  angels  tread 

Around  the  good  man's  dying  bed? 

His  child — his  sweet  and  sinless  child — 

And  as  he  gazed  on  her 

He  knew  his  God  was  reconciled, 

And  this  the  messenger. 

As  sure  as  God  had  hung  on  high 

The  promise  bow  before  his  eye; 

Earth's  purest  hope  thus  o'er  him  flung. 

To  paint  his  heavenward  faith. 

And  life's  most  holy  feeling  strung, 

To  sing  him  into  death; 

And  on  his  daughter's  stainless  breast 

The  dying  Hebrew  sought  his  rest. 

A.  I. 


THE  SACRED  TONGUE. 
I. 

The  first  period  of  the  Hebrew  language  extends  from  the  revela- 
tion on  Sinai  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  through  the  first  founder, 
to  the  destruction  of  the  Temj)le  and  the  banishment  to  Babylon. 
Before  that  time  we  find  no  mention  of  the  existence  of  the  language, 
although  it  cannot  be  denied  that  it  existed  previously,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptural  narrative,  fr-om  the  beginning  of  creation,  yet 
it  is  but  in  these  that  a  remembrance  of  the  language  is  kept  up. 


318  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

From  the  supiDosition  generally  taken,  that  the  written  memorials 
supply  us  with  information  concerning  the  condition  of  the  language, 
we  may  with  certainty  conclude  that  the  same  must  have  reached,  at 
that  time,  the  highest  state  of  culture,  as  it  sufficed  in  all  cases. 
Remarkable  it  is,  however,  amidst  all  troubles  and  hardships  the 
nation  had  to  undergo,  during  the  time  of  the  Judges,  before  they  had 
a  king,  that  poesy  was  nevertheless  preserved  to  great  perfection,  as 
the  song  of  Deborah  sufficiently  corroborates.  But  as  soon  as  the  king- 
dom was  severed  in  two  parts — when  Ephraim  deserted  Judah,  and 
the  greatness  of  the  house  of  David  diminished — the  language  also 
began  to  decay,  for  Ephraim  was  ojjposed  to  Judah,  and  to  his  own 
detriment  entered  upon  an  alliance  with  strange  nations.  Amid  such 
national  dissensions,  it  is  impossible  that  science  could  prosper,  and 
in  town  and  country  every  dogma  fell  into  decline.  Yet,  in  spite  of 
aD  these  drawbacks,  the  versatility  of  the  language  has  not  entirely 
ceased  among  the  people,  as  long  as  the  light  of  divine  resplen- 
dence illumined  the  j^rophets,  and  poets  and  marvelous  songsters 
were  among  them,  such  as  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Hosea,  Amos  and 
Micah. 


n. 

The  second  period  lies  from  the  banishment  to  Babylon,  to  the 
return  from  thence,  and  from  the  building  of  the  second  Temple  to 
its  destruction,  an  epoch  of  about  500  years.  We  leave  the  preced- 
ing exjDulsion  of  the  ten  tribes  unsaid,  because  they  returned  no 
more,  and  speak  only  of  the  banishment  of  Judah's  and  Benjamin's. 
Since  the  light  and  government  in  Judah  had  ceased,  and  the  Israel- 
ites submitted  to  the  Babylonian  king,  the  language  also  lost  its  lus- 
ter and  color,  foi  the  Jews  made  no  fui-ther  use  of  the  same,  but 
acquired  the  language  of  the  ruling  nation,  Aramaic  and  Chaldaic. 

During  the  whole  time  of  the  second  Temple  we  find  not  a  single 
work  composed  in  Hebrew  except  the  book  Ben-Sira,  of  which  the 
Hebrew  text  was  known,  but  this  is  not  extant  now  ;  it  became  lost, 
or  is  somewhere  stowed  away,  and  has  thus  remained  unknown  to 
our  co-religionists .  Perhaps,  in  course  of  time,  even  other  works 
may  have  become  lost,  because  in  that  period  no  such  care  was 
bestowed  on  them,  which  we  find  the  scribe  Esra,  with  his  energy 
for  the  divine  law,  and  his  party,  the  society  of  the  great  Synod,  have 
shown  for  the  presei-vation  and  arrangement  of  the  twenty -four  books 
of  Holy  Writ.  Thi-ough  the  Massora  they  had  established  the  same 
firmly,  and  had  secured  them  from  arbitrary  alterations,  in  order 
that  evil  hands  may  not  bring  about  interpolations.  Thereby  these 
twenty-foul-  sacred  books  are  preserved  to  us  in  their  correct  form 
unto  this  day.  Besides,  these  men  of  the  great  Synod  have  given  us 
no  fixed  formulas  for  our  prayers.  From  these  works  of  theirs,  to 
determine  upon  the  state  of  the  language,  it  appears  that  the  same 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  319 

was  at  that  time  an  object  for  study,  and  although  they  kuew  how  to 
handle  the  language,  it  Avas  with  them  nevertheless  no  more  in  that 
pure  state  as  previously. 


III. 

The  third  period  is  from  the  termination  of  the  assembly  of  the  great 
Synod,  the  origin  of  the  Pharisees  in  the  third  century  of  the  second 
Temple,  the  body  of  Mishna  teachers  proceeding  from  the  same,  and 
the  succeeding  authors  of  the  Talmud  in  explanation  of  the  Mishna, 
till  the  completion  thereof,  a  period  of  more  than  six  hundred  years. 
During  this  long  period  not  a  trace  can  be  found  for  fostering  or 
maintaining  the  language  ;  inasmuch  as  all  the  keepsakes  their  hands 
left  us  are  the  Mishna  and  the  Talmud,  containing  laws  and  precepts. 
As  these  refer  to  objects  which  concern  the  acts  of  every  individual 
from  the  mass  of  the  nation,  they  preferred  comparing  the  same  in 
language  well  known  and  easily  understood,  as  a  pure  Hebrew  was 
to  all  accessible  only  under  very  great  difficulty  ;  yet  even  during 
this  period  the  existence  of  some  odd  clever  man  cannot  be  denied, 
possessing  poetic  talents,  and  who  fostered  the  poesy  of  the  Hebrew 
language  ;  for  among  a  people  endowed  with  knowledge, 
science  and  moral  laws,  it  cannot  lack  poetical  minds.  As  I  have 
already  mentionef^,  poesy  is  the  sister  of  knowledge  and  culture, 
and  where  the  latter  is  found  the  former  is  surely  to  be  met  with. 
In  pursuing  this  aim,  however,  the  authors  of  the  Talmud  have  in  their 
work  found  no  opportunity,  as  their  intention  was  limited  merely  to 
the  proper  arrangement  of  the  law. 


IV. 
The  fourth  period  is  from  the  completion  of  the  Talmud,  the  origin  of 
the  Seboraim,after  them  the  Gaonim,and  then  the  academical  teachers, 
until  the  expulsion  from  Sjmin — a  period  of  eight  hundred  years. 
This  epoch  especially  had  made  great  strides  in  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  language.  During  this  space  of  time  the  foundation 
was  laid  for  the  construction  of  grammar,  which  has  been  preserved 
unto  this  day  ;  for  they  breathed  a  spirit  into  the  dry  bones,  that 
they  have  become  a  living  being.  To  the  latter,  whose  Hebrew 
works  have  been  handed  down  to  us,  belong  R.  Abraham  ben  Esra, 
and  the  brothers  R.  Moses  and  R.  David,  sons  of  R.  Joseph  Kimchi. 
The  most  renowned  is  the  latter,  R.  David  Kimchi  ;  he  is  the  pillar 
on  which  all  succeeding  authors  leaned,  and  his  two  works,  the  Gram- 
mar and  Lexicon,  have  served  us  for  a  finger-post  in  all  improvements 
of  the  language,  and  all  later  works  till  the  present  time  have  drawn 
fi'om  this  source  ;  for  although  an  extension  may  be  possible,  it  is 
not  likely  that  anything  can  be  taken  away  from  them.  But  in 
regard  to  the  productions  of  poetry  during  this  period,  we  find  two 
kinds:  the  one  consisting  of  the  ritual  poesy,  which  is  called  Kero- 


330  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

both,  as  arranged  aud  divided  for  the  whole  year,  and  in  all  Jewish 
congregations  in  Germany,  Poland  and  other  countries  made  use  of. 
All  these  poesies  have,  with  other  poetic  works,  no  other  peculiaiity 
in  common,  except  the  rhyme.  The  second  kind  includes  the  poetry 
which,  from  the  Gaonim  and  the  founders  of  grammar,  have  been 
comjDOsed,  and  which  the  Spanish  communities  have  adopted.  These 
are  of  subHme  matter  and  of  noble  and  poetic  forms. 


The  fifth  period  embraces  the  time  from  the  expulsion  from  Spain 
until  forty  years  before  our  time— about  three  hundred  years.  These 
are  called  the  three  hundred  years  of  darkness  in  regard  to  language 
and  sciences.  With  the  expulsion  of  the  Arabs  from  the  western 
countries,  Portugal  and  Spain,  all  science  and  also  the  Jews  were 
exjDelled,  and  from  that  time  their  luster  disappeared,  and  Jacob's 
honor  became  gloomy.  They  were  tossed  about  from  kingdom  to 
kingdom,  from  one  country  to  another,  and  at  last  they  sjDread  over 
Germany  and  Poland.  There  the  sun  of  knowledge  set  for  them 
entirely,  the  stars  of  jDerception  became  darkened,  and  the  language 
went  into  mourning  ;  for  misfortune  had  broken  their  spirit,  and  the 
continual  persecutions  and  expatriations  made  their  mind  cloudy,  so 
that  they  turned  their  heart  from  all  science  and  knowledge,  and  as 
they  iinderstood  no  other  language,  nor  any  other  books  than  those 
of  the  Hebrews,  and  transfeiTing  the  same  into  jargon  peculiar  to 
themselves,  their  expressions  destroyed  the  meaning  thereof,  being 
unable  to  explain  the  Scriptures  properly.  Therefore  the  study  of 
the  same  soon  ceased  to  be  an  object  for  instruction,  and  thus  the 
knowledge  of  the  language  and  the  art  of  poesy  was  lost  to  them. 
Yet,  even  in  those  hard  times,  Israel  had  not  become  an  orphan,  and 
not  a  few  men  of  talent  existed,  who  strenghtened  the  building  of 
the  language  by  clearing  the  stones  of  their  rubbish  and  repairing 

the  foundation.  

VI. 
The  sixth  period — the  shortest  and  most  changeable  of  all,  be- 
cause it  comprises  no  more  than  forty  or  fifty  years,  and  because 
in  none  of  the  previous  jjeriods  do  we  meet  with  so  strange  a  condi- 
tion of  the  language  so  entirely  opposite,  now  rising  and  now  fall- 
ing. The  same  as  Mendelssohn  in  knowledge  and  understanding- 
shone  before  his  people,  that  people  sought  for  him,  and  nations 
came  to  consult  with  him,  so  was  also  his  Mend,  the  energetic  man 
in  the  law  of  God,  the  wise  and  renowned  poet,  Naphtali  Herz 
Wessely,  who  spread  a  clear  light,  and  raised  by  his  excellent  writ- 
ings and  invaluable  poetry  the  A^alue  of  the  language  and  poesy. 
It  was  God  who  raised  these  two  greatluminariesand  the  stars — the 
members  of  the  scciety  for  the  advancement  of  all  that  is  good  and 
noble.  But  when  Moses,  the  servant  of  God,  had  died,  his  works  also 
came  to  an  indifferent  end  ;  with  the  light  of  the  divine  man  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


321 


sparks  of  desiring-  knowledge  were  extinguished,  and  the  brightness 
of  studying  the  language  became  darkened.  The  "Sammler  "  ceased 
to  exist,  its  society  soon  dispersed,  and  the  language  lost  its  orna- 
ments. Since  the  death  of  the  righteous  man  the  language  has  been 
sinking  in  proportion  as  the  same  rose  during  his  lifetime.  But  we 
have  retrograded  in  regard  to  language  as  well  as  aU  religious  study, 
and  the  occupation  with  Holy  Writ  "and  the  Talmud  is  unfortunately 
becoming  year  by  year  more  neglected,  till  in  due  time  God  will 
once  more  ordain  otherwise.  Joseph  Zedner. 


Joseph  Zedner  was  a  native  of  Gr.  Glogau  (Prussian  Silesia),  a  man  of  great  literary 
attainments,  a  great  Talmudist,  assistant  librarian  at  the  British  Museum  in  London,  and 
author  of  several  important  works. 


Versatility— Easily  applied  to  a  new  form 
or  tasli. 

Kesplendence — Luster;  splendor. 

Massora— A  Hebrew  work  on  the  Bible 
compiled  by  several  Rabbis. 


Interpolation — Something  added  or  put 
into  the  original  matter. 

Synod — An  assembly,  generally  of  ecclesi- 
astics. 

ExpATEiATioN— Banishment. 


JACOB'S 

In  the  sea  of  Rabbinical  lore, 
Is  a  mystical  legend  of  yore  ; 

Of  Jacob  who  wandered  afar. 
In  anguish  of  spirit,  sore  pressed. 
He  lay  on  the  desert  to  rest, 

'Neath  the  light  of   a  tremulous  star. 

And   the  moss-covered  stones  that  he 

saw, 
Grew  still  in  their  wonder  and  awe 

That  the  father  of  Israel's  race 
Should  seek  in  the  gloom  of  the  plain 
Surcease  of  his  anguish  and  pain, 

"  To  lay  himself  down  in  that  place." 

Then  they  clamored  in  audible  tones, 
In  the  mystical  language  of  stones, 

Each  claiming  pre-eminent  right 
To  be  chosen  as  Israel's  bed, 
To  pillow  the  wanderer's  head 

As  he  lay  in  the  desert  that  night. 

Each  stone  to  the  other  laid  claim 
To  the  honor  and  marvelous  fame. 

As  contending  they  scattered  his  way; 
But  the  presence  of  Jacob  was  there 
Like  the  sanctified  incense  of  prayer 

And  in  rapturous  silence  they  lay. 

But  a  marvelous  destiny — true 
To  the  grandeur  of  Israel's  few 
^Who  invoked  the  religion  of  man — 
Rewarded  the  rivaling  stones, 


PILLOW. 

;  In  harmony  blending  their  tones 
Like  the  hues  of  a  rainbow's  span. 

For  they  merged  and  mingled  in  one 
In  the  droop  of  the  glowing  sun. 

And  from  all  but  a  single  stone 
i  Was  molded  for  Israel's  bed, 
I  To  pillow  the  wanderer's  head, 
As  he  lay  with  his  God  alone. 

And  when  morn  shot  her  golden  beams, 
As  seraphic  as  Israel's  dreams. 

The  pillow  of  mystical  story 
He  knew  in  the  depth  of  night 
Had  invoked  the  angels  of  light 

To  compass  the  heavens  in  glory. 

An  altar  to  Heaven  he  raised, 
'  And  the  God  of  his  father  he  praised, 

As  he  set  up  the  pillow  of  tame. 
And  the  legend  divinely  has  said. 
That  thus  was  the  corner-stone  laid 

Of  the  Temple  to  Israel's  name. 

Like  the  stones,  so  scattered  and  riven, 
Was  thus  a  heritage  given 
I      To  a  race  bearing  proudly  their  paiii; 
!  But  the  fragments   in  one  shall  com- 
bine 
To  build  up  the  faith  of  all  time. 
And  the  Temple  of  God  to  regain. 

I  -Jacob  G.  As  ghee. 


To  ScRCEASE  —To  stop,  to  put  an  end  to. 
PART  in.— 2t. 


322  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

THE  STUDY  OF  HEBREW. 

David's  description  of  our  journeying  beyond  the  borders  of  oppres- 
sion is  sui-passing  in  elegance  of  style  and  loftiness  of  thought.  The 
fi-equency  with  which  we  repeat  the  hymn  of  the  inspired  bard  can- 
not lessen  its  attractiveness.  Our  feelings  are  ever  thrilled  by  the 
bold  apostrophe  to  the  fleeing  sea  and  the  affrighted  mountains; 
and  when  the  author,  transported  with  religious  enthusiasm,  bids 
the  whole  earth  tremble  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  coming  to 
overthrow  the  laws  of  nature,  that  He  may  miraculously  sustain  re- 
deemed Israel,  the  effect  is  soul- stirring.  Yet  who  would  believe 
that  the  daily  recital  of  that  subUme  composition,  upon  the  festival 
we  celebrated  of  late,  awakened  within  me  a  sense  of  humiliation?  I 
fancied  it  j^rovoked  a  contrast  in  our  conduct  between  two  periods, 
which  form  two  epochs  in  the  annals  of  the  world — the  period  of  the 
rule  of  tyranny  in  Egj^Dt,  and  that  of  the  rule  of  fi-eedom  in  America; 
for,  if  the  concurrent  testimony  of  history  and  tradition  did  not 
show  a  brighter  feature  in  the  Jewish  character,  when  the  yoke  of 
the  Pharaohs  weighed  us  down,  than  when  the  freest  govern- 
ment raised  us  up,  a  word  ingenuously  uttered  by  the  Psalmist 
would  clearly  exhibit  it.     Hear  the  opening  sentence  of  his  ode: 

"When  Israel  went  out  of  Egypt,  the  house  of  Jacob  fi'om  a  peo- 
ple of  strange  language,  Judah  became  his  sanctuary."  Were  the 
slaves  in  every  deed  unacquainted  with  the  langiiage  of  theu-  task- 
masters? Did  not  a  residence  of  centuries  in  Mizraim  enable  our 
forefathers  to  learn  what  was  constantly  spoken  within  their  hearing? 
None  can  enteiiain  the  supposition  who  has  read  the  Scriptures  at- 
tentively. The  whole  narrative  in  iExodus,  from  that  part  which 
pictures  Miriam  accosting  the  gentle-hearted  princess,  and  offering 
to  go  in  search  of  a  nurse  for  the  infant  brother,  to  the  other,  in 
which  the  leader  urged  the  tribes,  on  the  eve  of  their  departure,  to 
ask  the  people  who  had  robbed  them  of  their  children  and  their  sub- 
stance for  objects  of  silver  and  gold,  is  a  chain  of  evidence  rej^re- 
senting  "the  house  of  Jacob"  as  familiar  with  the  vernacular  tongue 
of  the  land  they  inhabited. 

Not  their  ignorance  of  another  j^eople's  language  suggested  the 
term  "Louas,"  in  the  sentence  of  the  heaven-gifted  poet,  but 
their  retention  of  the  ancestral  language,  their  cherishing  it  and 
setting  thereupon  a  value,  which  made  them  consider  strange  what 
was  not  Hebrew.  The  merit  of  having  affectionately  kept  it  as  a 
distinguishing  characteristic  is  reckoned  by  the  sages  as  one  of  the 
virtues  that  purchased  Israel's  deliverance.  But  even  if  we  are  disin- 
clined to  accept  the  Rabbinical  axiom,  we  cannot  gainsay  this  truth. 
Our  predecessors,  who  responded  to  the  victorious  song  of  theii- 
champion  on  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea;  our  predecessors,  who  stood 
at  the  foot  of  Siuai  to  receive  the  divine  mandate,  must  have  treas- 
ured up  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  language  brought  fifom  Canaan 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  323 

loy  the  seventy  persons  who  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  future  nation- 
ality; and  that  they  accomplished  in  spite  of  a  refined  despotism, 
bent  upon  extinguishing  every  sentiment  of  union  among  the  en- 
slaved. A  marvelous  preservation,  because  effected  under  the  pres- 
sure of  crushing  hindrances.  But  that  which  came  out  of  a  liery 
furnace  unscathed,  a  gentle  stream  has  earned  away. 

"  When  Israel  went  out  of  Egypt,  the  house  of  Jacob  from  a  peo- 
ple of  strange  language,  Judali  became  his  sanctuary."  The  nation 
in  whose  midst  the  Divinity  dwelt  as  in  a  sacred  tabernacle,  was  that 
who  deemed  strange  the  language  which  did  not  recall  their  origin 
and  belief.  Such  is,  methinks,  the  burden  of  David's  imperishable 
hymn.  Does  it  not  sound  like  a  reproach  to  the  descendants  of  the 
shei:)herd  king,  as  a  withering  rebuke  to  the  remnant  of  Judah  ? 
To  that  portion,  thereof,  I  mean,  among  whom  the  Hebrew  has  become 

a  strange  language You  know  it,  my  hearers !     The  range  of  our 

children's  studies  comprises  a  variety  of  studies,  but  that  which  ranked 
foremost  in  the  ancient  "  house  of  Jacob  "  occupies  no  place  with  its, 
or  it  is  put  so  far  back  as  to  be  rendered  almost  invisible.  1  am 
wiUing  to  concede  much  to  the  changes  in  time  and  circumstances. 
Let  us  admit  that  our  altered  condition  demands  a  broader  culture 
of  secular  learning  than  heretofore ;  that  in  order  not  to  be  lowered  in 
the  social  scale  we  must  acquire  a  mastery  of  the  language  of  the 
country  in  which  we  live.  Let  us  grant  that  we  are  instinctively 
drawn  to  the  literature  of  the  people  who  have  accorded  to  us  the 
right  of  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  But  cheerfully  making 
that  admission,  we  ought,  nevertheless,  to  repel  as  impious  the  idea 
of  treating  contemptuously  the  study  of  the  Hebrew  language.  Aside 
from  the  vital  question,  which  our  acquaintance  with  it — as  a  token 
of  recognition  among  the  members  of  our  race — has  involved  at  all 
times,  but  especially  since  the  dispersion,  our  cultivation  of  it  is  im- 
perative, because  we  must  endeavor  to  maintain  Holy  Writ  in  its 
original  purity.  We  were  celestially  appointed  its  guardian,  and 
oui'  having  acted  our  part  well  in  ages  past  prevented  the  designing 
from  tampering  with  it.  As  long  as  we  keep  the  same  jealous  watch, 
G-entilism  will  succeed  as  httle  as  Samaritanism  of  old  in  its  endeav- 
ors to  foist  in  erroneous  notions.  But  the  moment  we  desert  oiu' 
past  we  may  open  the  way  for  the  iinscrupulous  to  mutilate  and 
corrupt,  agi-eeably  to  the  opinions  wished  to  be  palmed  off  on  the 
credulous  as  authoritative. 

The  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  is  then  the  golden  hinge  that  our 
national  and  religious  existence  turns  upon.  What  Israelite  will  de- 
liberately break  it  apart '?  Are  we  so  infected  with  indifferentism 
that  we  care  not  if  it  be  shattered  into  pieces  ?  Or  are  we  so  mate- 
rialized, that  our  attention  will  be  directed  solely  to  that  which  pro- 
cures some  temporal  gain  ?  I  will  not  so  malign  my  people.  No ; 
the  Jewish  community,  small  as  it  is  in  number,  can  point  to  men  of 


-324  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

scholarly  attainments,  to  individuals  whose  presence  miglit  grace 
jany  society.     They  can  discuss  the  classics  and  the  schools  of  phil- 
osophy; they  can  evince  a  due  appreciation  of  arts  and  sciences.  But 
has  Hebrew  literatm-e  no  attraction  for  such  Israelites '?     Can  Homer 
and  Virgil  offer  to  a  well-trained  mind  charms  that  exceed  those 
abounding  in  Job  and  Isaiah  ?     Has  Aristotle  displayed  an  acumen 
which  has  not  been  equaled  by  our  Maimonides  ?     And  does  not 
the   Talmud  contain  what  might  profit  even  the  scientist?     Oh  ! 
that  the  Jew  who  immortalized  his  name  by  a  writing  proving  his 
versatility  of  genius  could  address  such  among  his  co-religionists  ! 
Would  that  Emanuel  Deutsch  were  living  and  in  our  midst!     The 
depth  of  his  learning  and  his  impassioned  eloquence  might  stir  us 
up  to  the  cultivation  of  a  study  reprehensibly  neglected.     But  what 
a,  renowned  fellow-believer  might  have  accomplished  by  a  richness 
of  literary  resources  and  persuasive  words,  I  wish  to  perform  simply 
hj  the  resolve  to  do  some  good.     We  cannot  disguise  the  fact  that 
the  number  of  Israelites  in  our  community  who  can  understandingly 
read  from  the  text  a  portion  of  Scriptures  is  fast  diminishing.     So 
sadly  have  we  degenerated  from  those  who  called  strange  what  was 
not  Hebrew,  that  a  lad  before  reaching  his  religious  majority,  often 
devotes  months  to  qualify  himself  for  the  recital  of  a  portion  of  the 
Pentateuch;  and  only  very  few  can  be  found  able  to  rehearse  fault- 
lessly a  chapter  from  the  proj^hets.     The  prospect  opening  to  our 
view  is  aught  but  cheering.     If  we  proceed  as  of  late,  the  next  gen- 
eration will,  I  fear,  be  incapable  of  making  the  declaration  of  faith 
in  the  now  well  known  words  of  our  inspired  Moses. 

As  a  palliative  for  the  growing  evil,  a  novel  worship  has  been  in- 
vented— a  worship  in  wliich  a  minimum  of  Hebrew  is  interlarded 
with  a  maximum  of  German  and  English;  a  plan  more  fraught  with 
mischief  to  the  millions  constituting  "  the  house  of  Jacob"  than  any 

yet  conceived I  hold  that  the  mission  of  the  spiritual  guides  in 

Israel  is  to  raise  people  up  to  their  standard,  rather  than  they  them- 
selves should  come  down  to  the  level  of  their  flock.  It  is  not  their 
mission,  I  say,  to  yield  to  the  spirit  of  the  time,  and  help  in  making 
the  Hebrew  a  strange  language,  but  to  stand  firm,  laboring  with 
might  and  main  that  the  holy  tongue  may  become  household  words. 
Had  this  plan  been  universally  adopted  we  would  not  hear  the 
humiUating  confession  that  the  divine  service  is  unattractive,  be- 
cause recited  in  an  unintelligible  language.  Had  there  been  less 
preaching  and  more  teaching  we  would  not  lament  the  consummate 
ignorance  of  a  branch  of  learning  as  important  as  it  is  priceless,  i 
have  no  desire,  however,  to  reprove,  but  to  improve;  not  merely 
to  deplore  a  case  of  unpardonable  negligence,  but  to  implore  yoitr 
co-operation  that  it  may  cease  to  ejfist.  ''  Ho  !  every  one  that 
thirsteth  !  Come  ye  to  the  waters;  and  he  that  hath  no  money, 
come  ye,  buy  and  eat."     To  contribute  to  the  dissemination  of  a 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


325 


learning  peculiarly  ours,  and  which  has  held  an  empire  over  the 
heart  of  thousands  of  generations;  to  call  into  active  life  Judaism, 
through  the  agency  of  its  handmaid,  the  Hebrew  language,  is  my 
ardent  wish. 

Style  it  prejudice,  if  you  choose,  but  I  verily  believe  that  to  have 
drunk  deeply  at  the  fountain  of  a  literatui'e,  whence  heaven-bred 
poetry  gushes  forth,  and  sovereign  wisdom  wells  out,  is  to  have  been 
filled  with  love  for  the  religion  of  Israel.  To  be  imbued  with  that 
knowledge,  and  desei^t  that  religion  is  impossible.  Should  the  pas- 
sions at  times  lure  us  away  from  it,  we  will  still  return  to  its  fold, 
seeking  it  as  we  would  seek  a  mother  on  whose  breast  we  hope  to 
find  calm  and  repose. 

The  Hebrew  language  is  holy,  because  it  exercises  that  blessed 
influence.  Flowing  down  from  the  hills  of  eternity,  it  restoreth  the 
soul.  The  HebreAv  language  is  an  infusion  divine.  It  holds  the 
mirror  up  to  nature,  and  reveals  beauties  undescribed.  The  Hebrew 
language  is  the  treasure  house  of  the  poetry  of  the  heart;  now  plain- 
tive, anon  joyous,  but  ever  j)ure,  ever  noble,  exalting.  The  Hebrew 
language  is  most  holy,  because  it  has  been  set  apart  by  God  as  the 
receptacle  of  truths  destined  to  sway  mankind  and  humanize  the 
world.  Too  long  we  have  denied  its  supremacy.  Let  us  crown  it, 
and  set  a  throne  for  it  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation.  All  eyes 
shall  behold  it,  become  enamored  with  it,  and  extol  its  peerless  charms. 
No;  the  Hebrew  must  no  more  be  strange  to  "  the  house  of  Jacob." 
Judah,  the  chosen  sanctuary  of  the  Lord,  must  enshrine  it  and  make 
it  glorious.  Rev.  S.  Morais, 

Minister  of  "  Mikveh  Israel,"  Philadelphia. 


Apostrophe — A  diversion  of  speech. 
LouAS  (Hebrew)— The  vernacular,  the  lan- 
guage of  the  nation. 
Axiom— Self-evident  proposition. 
Mandate  — Command;  charge. 
Impious— Irreligious;  wicked. 


To  Palm — To  impose,  to  conceal. 
Acumen — Quickness  of  intellect. 
Materialist — One   who     denies     spiritual 
substances. 
Palliative — Mitigating,  not  removing. 


BIBLICAL  POEM. 

"  With  human  cords  I  drew  them  forward; 

With  leadino:  strings,  and  bands  of  love." — Hos.  xi:  4. 


And  who  can  say  when  first  the  silent 
cord 
Moved  onward  thro"  the  spheres  of 
infinite  space. 
To  touch  the  heart,  and  lead  it  to  the 
Lord, 
All  lesser  powers  of  mortal  to  efEace  ? 

Whether  by  signal  of  eleeh-ie  fire, 
Sent   from    eternal   orbs    of    golden 
light. 


Or  silvery  beams — to  lift  the  soul  still 
higher 
Thro'  grief  and  woe,  to  reach  its  des- 
tined height  ? 


Or,  if  angelic  beings,  hence  departed. 
Weave,  with  soft  music,  'neath  their 

shadowy  wings, 
Those  "cords  and  bands"  wherewith 

God's  tender-hearted 


326  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Are  drawn  to  Hiin,  who  to  His  heaven 
He  brings  ? 

What  ere  they  be — those  silent  cords  of 
love, 
That  bind  us  to  His  holy  will  forever. 


And  draw  us,  heavenly  linked  to  those 
above, 
No  earthly  gi'ief  can  shake — no  death 
can  sever. 

Rosa  Emma  Collins. 


THE  HEBREW  LANGUAGE. 

If  we  inquire  into  the  excellencies  which  usually  recommend  the 
learned  languages,  we  shall  find  the  Hebrew  to  be  an  original  and 
essential  language,  thai  borrows  of  none,  but  lends  to  all.  Some  of  the 
sharj^est  Pagan  writers,  inveterate  enemies  to  the  religion  and  learn- 
ing of  both  Jews  and  Christians,  have  allowed  the  Hebrew  tongue  to 
have  a  noble  em23hasis,  and  a  close  and  beautiful  brevit3\  The 
Hebrew  is  a  language,  for  uniformity  and  simplicity,  of  all  others  the 
most  easy  ;  and  yet  at  the  same  time  so  fuU  of  excellent  wisdom  and 
skUl  in  the  contrivance  of  it,  as,  considering  it  merely  as  a  language, 
will  afford  exercise  for  the  acutest  parts  and  give  pleasure  to  the 
most  curious. 

The  Old  Testament  is  the  rich  treasury  of  all  the  sublimity  of 
thought,  moving  tenderness  of  passion,  and  vigorous  strength  of 
expression,  which  are  to  be  found  in  all  the  languages  by  which  mor- 
tals declare  their  minds.  One  word  is  often  a  good  description,  and 
gives  you  a  satisfactory'  account  of  the  chief  or  distinguishing  prop- 
erty or  quality  of  the  thing  or  person  named.  It  would  be  no  diflti- 
cult  matter  for  a  man  of  diligence  and  good  taste,  competently 
skilled  in  the  Hebrew  and  classical  learning,  to  prove  that  the 
Hebrew  Bible  has  every  beauty  and  excellence  that  can  be  found 
in  aU  the  Grreek  and  Roman  authors,  and  a  great  man}-  more  and 
stranger  than  any  in,  all  the  most  admired  classics. 

If  it  be  objected  that  this  representation  seems  to  affect  the  Holy 
Bible,  rather  than  barely  the  Hebrew  language,  and  that  the  world  is 
stored  with  a  variet}'  of  excellent  translations,  it  may  be  answered 
that  this  variety  is  an  argument  in  favor  of  the  study  of  the  original, 
for  amid  a  diversity  of  interpretations,  how  shall  we  be  ascertained 
of  the  true  one  without  the  original  ?  And,  in  short,  after  we  have 
puzzled  and  perplexed  ourselves  with  turning  over  and  comparing 
the  best  translations,  we  can  only  know  that  the  authors  of  such 
translations  have  acquainted  us  with  the  particulars  we  read  in  them, 
but  cannot  assure  ourselves  that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  dictated  such 
accounts  in  the  Sacred  Text.  Add  to  this  that  every  language  has 
its  idioms  and  peculiar  beauties,  which  it  is  not  jDossible  to  express 
or  preserve  in  their  native  energy,  when  translated  into  any  other 
language.  This  is  more  especially  observable  of  the  Hebrew,  which 
is  a  language  of  a  peculiar  cast,  both  in  the  contexture  of  its  words 
and  the  cadence  of  its  periods,  and  contains  exj)ressions  whose  em- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  337 

phasis  can  no  more  be  translated  into  another  language  than  the 
water  of  a  diamond  can  be  painted  without  detracting  from  the 
original.  Prof.  Thuelstone. 


Contexture— The  system.  |     Cadence— The  tlow  of  verses  or  periods. 


HEBEEW  POETRY. 

The  art  of  the  Hebrew  is  true  art  to  those  who  can  rise  to  the  leVel 
of  his  passion.      But  religious  conviction  is  supreme  where  it  exists 
at  all.     And  the  esthetic  necessity  that  all  things  in  heaven  and 
earth  shall  bend  to  the  divine  pur^DOse  of  salvation  revealed  to  the 
poet's  faith,  is  also  the  ethical  necessity  on  which  the  whole  religious 
life  depends.     That  the  things  which  are  impossible  with  men  are 
possible  with  God,  is  the  first  axiom  of  a  religion  that  shall  rise  with 
triumphant  assurance  over  all  the  powers  of  evil  and  all  the  woes  of 
life.    .  To  assert  with  unwavering  confidence  the  victory  of  spiritual 
certainties  over  all  empii'ical  contradiction,  to  vanquish  earthly  fears 
in  the  assurance  of  transcendental  fellowship  with  God,  to  lay  down 
for  all  ages  the  pattern  of  a  faith  which  endiu-es  as  seeing  Him  who 
is  invisible — such  is  the  great  work  for  which  the  poetic  genivis  of  the 
Hebrews  was  consecrated  by  the  providence  and  inspiration  of  the 
Most  High.    How  nobly  this  work  was  served  by  that  Hebrew  inten- 
sity which  carries  one  supreme  conviction  with  irresistible  poetic 
fire  thi'ough  all  things  in  heaven  or  eai'th  that  rise  up  against  it,  may 
be  read  alike  in  the  personal  utterances  of  the  Psalter  and  in  the  Mes- 
sianic hopes  of  the  prophets.     Thus  it  was  that  the  Psalmist,  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  the  contradictions  of  sinners,  bowed  with 
sickness  and  grief,  oppressed  by  the  consciousness  of  guilt,  was  yet 
able  so  to  cling  to  the  unfailing  certainty  of  his  living  felloAVshij) 
with  redeeming  God,  that  danger,  and  sickness  and  sin  itself  were 
left  behind,  and  he  pressed  forward  beyond  the  fear  of  death  to  the 
assurance  of  immortality  at  God's  right  hand.     Thus  it  was  that  the 
prophets,  gazing  on  the  certainties  of  Jehovah's  righteousness  and 
grace,    saw    the    creation,    now   stained  with   sin,  and   blasted  by 
the  strokes  of  divine  indignation,  transformed  in  new  perfection 
and  holy  loveliness,  and  instinct  in  all  its  parts  wdth  a  sAveet  intelli- 
gence, so  that  from  verse  to  verse  of  things  now  deemed  inanimate 
the  prayer  of  man  goes  up  to  God,  and  the  answer  of  God  descends 
on  man. — British  Quarterly  Review. 

Axiom— A  proposition  evident  at  first  sight.  I      Transcendental- General;  pervading  many 
EMPiRiCAii — Versed  la  experiments.  |  particulars. 


WHAT  IS  LIFE? 


*'  What  is  Life  ?  "  I  asked  of  a  wanton 
child, 
As  he  chased  a  bntterflv  ; 


And  his  laugh  gushed  out  all  joyous 
and  wild. 
As  the  insect  flitted  bv. 


328  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

"What  is  Life?"  I  asked;  "oh,  tell  ]  Her  smile    turned  grave,  though  won- 
me,  I  pray  !  "  drous  in  beauty. 


His    echoes    rang    merrily,    "  Life    is 
Play  !  " 

"  What  is  Life  ?  "    I  asked  of  the  mai- 


As   she   made  reply,  "Life? — Life  is 
Duty  ! " 

I  turned  to  the  father,  who  stood  near 


den  fair,  |         by. 

And  I  watched  her  glowing  cheek.  And  gazed  on  his  wife  with  pride  ; 

A^  the  blushes  deepened  and  softened  |  Then  a  tear  of  joy  shone  bright  in  his 
there,  '         eye. 

And  the  dimples  played  "hide  and  j      For  the  treasure  that  lay  at  her  side; 
seek."  ^1  listened  well  for  the  tale  that  should 

"What  is  Life?     Can  you  tell  me  its!         come: 

fullest  measure ? "  "My  life?"  he  cried;    "My  life  is 

She  smilingly  answered.  "  Life  is  Pleas-  j  Home  ! " 

ure  ! "  I 

"  What  is  Life  ? "  I  asked  the  statesman. 
"  What  is  Life  ?  "    I  asked  of  a  soldier  grand, 

brave,  The  idol  of  the  hour  ; 


As  he  grasped  the  hilt  of  his  sword  ; 
He  planted    his    foot   on   a  foeman's 
grave 
And  looked  "creation's  lord." 


The  fate  of  a  nation  was  in  his  hana. 
His  word  was  the  breath  of  power. 
He,  sickening,  turned  from  the  world's 
caress. 


"  What  is  Life  ?  "  1  queried  ;  "oh,  tell    "  'Tis  a  bubble  !"  he  cried — "  'tiserap- 

me  its  story !  "  !  tiness  !  " 

His  brow  grew  bright  as  he  answered,  | 

"  Glory  !  "  I  turned  and  asked  ray  inner  heart 

What  story  it  could  unfold  ; 
"What  is  Life?"    I  asked  a   mother   It  bounded  quick  in  its  pulses  start, 
proud,  I      As  the  record  it  unrolled. 

As  she  bent  o'er  her  babe  asleep,        '  I  read  on  the  page,  "Love,  Hope,  Joy, 
With  a  low,  hushed  tone,  lest  a  thought  Strife — 

aloud  What  the   heart  would  make  it— such 

Might  waken  its  slumber  deep.  is  Life  !  Adapted. 


THE  PECULIARITIES  OF  ISRAEL. 

Above  all  things  we  must  distinguish  the  people  of  Israel  in  their 
peculiarities.  This  peculiarity  consists,  as  every  one  must  be  aware, 
in  their  religion.  It  is  true  that  every  nation  of  antiquity  had  its 
peculiar  religion,  but  the  ancient  popular  religions  were  suiTounded 
by  a  common  tie,  and  this  joined  character  is  opposed  by  the  peculi- 
arity of  the  Israelitish  religion.  While  the  others  blend  the  Divine 
Being  whom  they  adore  with  the  world,  the  Israelites  distinguish 
the  God  whom  they  worship  quite  differently  from  the  world.  The 
plainest  proofs  can  be  found  that  every  appearance  of  God  was 
always  distinct  from  His  being,  and  every  representation  of  God,  how- 
ever well  meant,  was  considered  desecration.  Closely  connected  with 
this  is  also  that  the  heathens  conceived  the  Deity  as  a  multiplicity, 
while  the  Israelites  always  used  the  utmost  rigor  and  severity  in 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  329 

adhering  to  the  view  of  the  indivisible  unity  of  the  Divine  Being. 
The  Israelites  were  conscious  of  this  religious  distinction  in  which 
they  possessed  the  purity  and  truth  of  religion  for  all  nations  and 
unto  all  times.  From  of  old  they  ascribed  unto  themselves  the 
priesthood  through  which  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  led 
unto  God  (Exodus  xix:  6);  and  when,  one  day,  the  blessing  of  God 
through  Abraham  will  have  reached  all  races  and  nations,  it  was 
considered  by  them  as  the  object  and  end  of  all  history.  (Genesis 
i:  3.)  The  Hellenes  could  not  conceive  a  dignified  human  civiliza- 
tion and  culture  without  being  consecrated  by  their  science  and 
art;  and  to  the  Romans  the  world  appeared  without  state  and  power 
if  the  nations  and  countries  of  the  whole  universe  were  not  encom- 
passed by  their  laws.  History  itself  has  impressed  these  universal 
historic  presentiments  of  the  three-named  nations  with  the  stamp  of 
truth  and  right. 

Art  and  science  of  Grecian  antiquity  have  become  the  school 
as  well  as  the  lasting  model  for  the  cultivation  of  the  mind  at  all 
times;  and  the  Roman's  legal  system  remained,  both  for  government 
and  code  of  laws,  the  strong  frame  in  which  the  civil  arrangements 
on  this  and  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  were  set.  As  the  historic 
rules  of  the  two  named  nations  have  reference  to  the  develojDment  of 
worldly  life,  the  ideal  as  well  as  the  real,  the  Israelitish  nation  imparts 
the  perpetual  type  for  the  rehgious  life,  for  the  relation  between  the 
Deity  and  mankind;  and  as  confidence  is  the  more  necessary  for 
this  most  intrinsic  and  tender  relation  than  for  worldly  circumstances, 
so  the  Israelitish  consciousness  of  their  future  destiny  became  the 
more  self-confident  and  certain.  While  the  two  other  nations  pos- 
sess only  an  "instinctive  foreboding  of  their  future  destiny,  there 
stands  by  the  Israelites  their  universal  historic  future  in  the  form  of 
prophecy  and  hope  indvibitably  firm.  In  this  light  of  futurity  have 
all  the  gifts  and  advantages  which  Israel  enjoys  their  final  design 
upon  the  whole  body  of  nations.  These  distinctions  of  the  chosen 
people  cannot,  therefore,  be  given  to  them  just  merely  for  enjoyment 
and  for  fame;  they  require  a  rigid  and  holy  service  through  which 
these  treasures  and  gifts  of  sublime  Ufe,  after  being  intrusted  unto 
Israel,  are  to  be  made  accessible  to  the  whole  world. 

Among  the  many  errors  which  have  been  diffused  in  regard  to 
the  people  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  which  are  propagated,  it  is 
said  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the  Israelites,  in  conceited  vain-glory 
and  with  haughty  disdain  over  all  other  nations,  which  they  denom- 
inate heathens,  to  boast  upon  their  special  covenant  with  Jehovah, 
the  supreme  God.  The  caricature  of  national  vanity  walks  along 
everywhere  and  at  aU  times  beside  the  rightful  and  dutiful  conscious- 
ness of  national  peculiarity.  But  if  one  wishes  to  know  what  by 
the  name  of  Israel  is  reaUy  meant,  then  let  him  inquire  and  search 
for  those  which  history  itself  has  authenticated  as  representatives 


330  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

-of  their  nation,  and  one  will  perceive  that  these  are  indeed  pene- 
trated with  the  consciousness  of  the  highest  superiority  which  feU 
to  the  lot  of  their  nation;  but  by  no  means  is  this  consciousness 
combined  with  anything  like  self-importance.  On  the  contrary,  the 
environment  of  that  Israelitish  consciousness  consists  in  rigid  self- 
denial,  sincere  humility,  ready  and  capable  for  the  severest  troubles, 
the  utmost  exeiiion  of  all  vigor  of  both  body  and  soul,  so  that 
every  one  must  say  in  them  is  reHected  the  truth  of  that  conscious- 
ness. 

Another  misconception  must  also  vanish  which  is  generally  circu- 
lated in  reference  to  the  God  of  the  Isralites,  as  if  He  were  a  limited 
and  partial  being,  attached  to  His  chosen  people  with  fond  love, 
while  the  heathens  are  always  treated  by  Him  with  rage  and  vengeance. 
It  is  incredible  how,  in  times  of  civilization,  one  generation  can  be- 
lie another  as  long  as  it  is  flattering  to  the  ruling  j^rejudices.  Who- 
soever really  wishes  to  glance  at  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament, 
will  soon  become  convinced  that  a  greater  severity  than  that  which 
God  exercised  toward  His  own  peoj)le  it  is  impossible  to  conceive. 
"  Behold,  among  His  servants  is  no  oue  without  fault,  and  upon  His 
ground  He  tinds  foUy."  (Job  4:  18.)  If  Eliphaz  speaks  thus  of 
God's  heavenly  spirits,  it  is  no  wonder  that  every  page  of  the  Old 
Testament  proves  how  God  punishes  those  whom  He  loves  the  most. 
If  one  wishes  to  know  how  the  peculiar  nation  is  nowhere  spared,  how 
the  best  and  highest  in  the  nation,  without  the  least  regard  to  per- 
son, are  humbled,  then  one  must  peruse  the  Hterature  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Such  inconceivable  prejudices  as  those  just  named 
could  not  anywhere  spring  up,  much  more  take  ro^t,  if  the  Old 
Testament  history  and  Hterature  were  not  by  preference  possessed 
of  a  reUgious  character,  and  thus  subject  to  a  fate  which  religiousness 
everywhere  has  to  endure.  Since  the  true  and  essential  ideas  of 
religion  are  but  seldom  conceived  and  understood,  it  becomes  much 
easier  to  confound  religiousness  with  any  other  ajDpearance  of  life, 
with  its  phantoms  and  degeneracies.  Religiousness  in  the  IsraeHtish 
nation  and  in  its  history  is  the  absolute  fixed  basis,  and  just  on  this 
account  all  other  accomplishments  of  this  nation,  in  a  general  and 
historical  jDoint  of  view,  remain  subordinate  and  unimportant. 
But  even  this  circumstance  is  wrongly  understood  in  believing  that 
it  is  a  characteristic  of  the  religion  to  despise  the  world,  and  that 
Israel's  deity  is  lowering  the  world  to  a  vanishing,  worthless  moment. 
In  taking  in  a  superficial  manner  simple  expressions  fi'om  the  Old 
Testament,  and  separating  their  connection,  then  one  can  only  faU 
in  with  such  conceptions.  But  if  the  connection  and  statements  of 
the  Old  Testament  are  strictly  adhered  to,  then  is  heaven  and  eaHh 
created  of  God,  and  man  placed  on  earih  in  order  that  the  divine 
destiny  appointed  at  the  creation  of  heaven  and  earth  may  be  re- 
alized.    P'rom  this  point  of  vieAv,  undoubtedly,  heaven,  earth  and 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  831 

mankind  are  depending-,  but  in  that  case  created  tlu'ough  the  word 
of  God  and  animated  by  His  spirit. — From  "David  the  King  imthouf 
Equal."  Prof.  Baumgarten. 

Indubitably — Undoubtedly.  I      Phantom — A  fancied  vision . 

HCarricatube— A  figure    or  description   in        Degeneracy — A  forsaking  of  that  whicli  is 
which  beauties  are. concealed  and  blemishes  |  good, 
■exaggerated. 


LONGING  FOR  JERUSALEM. 

After  Jehudah-ha-Levi. 


Thou  blooming  joy  of  all  the  world, 
thou  fortress  proud  and  royal. 

To  thee  from  out  the  far  off  West  my 
soul  turns  true  and  loyal. 

My  heart  on  thoughts  of  olden  time 
groans  up  in  plants  unspoken 


How  could  I  water  thy  hot  dusc  with  my 
fresh  tears  descending. 

E'en  though  I  found  no  royal  throne 
upon  thy  site  lamented; 

E'en  though  the  scorpion's  breath  in- 
stead of  air  sweet-scented, 


That  all  thy  glory  and  thy  pride  should  .  With  ardent  love  I'd  kiss  each  stone 


shattered  be  and  broken  ? 
Ah,  could  I  like  the  eagle,  free  to  thee 
my  flight  be  wending. 


by  cruel  foeman  beaten, 
And  every  clod   of   earth  for   me   the 
grief  of  old  would  sweeten. 

Dr.  Homgman. 


JUDAISM  AND  ITS  RELATION  TO  MANKIND. 

The  central  thought  and  moral  texture  of  our  religion,  its  very 
warp  and  woof,  is  an  all-comprehensive  inonotheism,  and  the  natural 
result  of  which  is,  and  must  be,  the  breadth  of  its  teaching  and 
the  universality  of  its  application.  Monotheism  fi'om  a  Jewish 
point  of  view  ignores  at  once  the  possibility  of  regarding  the  God 
of  nature — the  first,  the  sustaining  and  the  last  cause — as  a  tribal 
God.  No  arguiiient  to  the  contrary,  howsoever  speciously  put,  can 
ajjply.  Every  line  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is  intended  to  disabuse 
the  mind  of  such  a  heresy.  God  declared  Himself,  through  the 
Hebrew  prophets,  to  be  the  God  of  all  nations — good  to  all,  and 
whose  mercy  extendeth  to  all  His  creatures.  The  Jewish  teaching 
of  Messiah  is  essentially  world- embracing.  It  projjhesies  a 
golden  age,  not  for  Jews  alone,  but  for  the  human  race.  The  logic- 
chopping,  the  crafty  sophistry,  the  counterfeit  persuasion,  the  bigoted 
obtuseness,  that  would  so  libel  Judaism  as  to  narrow  it  to  the  j)uny 
dimensions  of  a  tribal  religion,  can  only  be  founded,  to  say  the  least, 
on  an  argumentum  ex  ab><urdo  growing  out  of  an  obstinately  cherished 
ignorance. 

Judaism,  I  mean  its  saving  dogma,  addresses  itself  as  its  dii-ect 
aequitur  not  simply  to  Jews,  biit  to  mankind  at  large.  "Ye  shall, 
therefore,  keep  My  statutes  and  my  judgments;  which  if  a  man  do, 
he  shall  live  in  them."  (Leviticus  xiii:  4.)  In  commenting  on  these 
words;  the  Talmud  and  post-Talmudical  words,  without  excejition, 
infer  in  several  places,  Rabbi  Mier  asserts,  hence  we  learn  that  even 
the  non-Jew  who  studies  and  respects  the  moral  laws  stands  side 


332  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

by  side  with  the  high-priest  of  the  nation.  For,  does  it  not  especially 
say  in  the  law,  "  Which  a  man  shall  do  and  live."  It  does  not  here 
restrict  the  blessing  neither  to  the  priest,  the  Levite,  nor  the  Hebrew, 
but,  in  the  highest  sense,  confers  it  on  man  as  man;  hence  the  non- 
Jew  who  studies  and  respects  these  moral  laws  is  on  a  level  even  with 
the  high-priest  himself.  Institutional  Judaism  alone  is,  and  must 
be,  fi'om  its  nature,  tribally  Jewish.  Judaic  discipline  must  inevit- 
ably be  co-ordinate  with  racial  habits,  local  requirements,  historical 
traditions,  and  poUtical  necessities. 

The  canon  of  Judaic  catholicity  is,  however,  written  by  God  him- 
self, not  only  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  in  the  very  constitution  of 
man's  moral  being.  One  God  having  created  all  men,  all  men  have 
one  common  Father.  Thus,  inasmuch  as  Judaism  proclaims  the 
unity  of  the  human  family,  it  follows  that  no  matter  how  divergently 
its  members  may  be  grouped  by  race,  climate,  color,  religion  and 
consequent  civilization,  "  the  one  touch  of  nature  makes  the  whole 
world  akin."  This  is  Judaism  —the  Judaism  of  the  Bible  of  the 
Talmud  and  of  history.  Yet  we  are  told,  to  our  utter  dismay,  that 
Judaism,  fi'om  its  very  inception,  inculcated  a  narrow  and  unnatural 
polity;  that  its  spirit  is  even  now  impiously  selfish  and  degradingly 
tribal.  This  assumed  to  the  satisfaction  of  our  detractors,  we 
"  hard-shelled "  Jews  are  declared  to  be  ex-necessitate  morally  unfit 
to  have  a  voice  in  the  council  of  nations,  that  we  cannot  be  intrusted 
to  deal  wisely,  fairly  or  safely  with  the  destiny  of  States.     *     *     * 

In  vindication  of  oui*  faith,  we  may  here  quote  and  cannot  quote 
too  often,  the  maxim  of  the  great  Hillel:  "Do  not  do  that  to  others 
which  from  others  would  be  grievous  to  you."  This  is  the  gist,  said 
Hillel,  of  our  religion ;  all  the  rest  is  but  its  commentary.  Learn 
this,  and  become  a  Jew,  said  he  to  the  heathen  who  desired  to  be 
converted.  This  self-same  maxim  is  the  guiding  principle  of  aU 
sensible  religions.  The  proto-mart;^T  Akiba  asserted  that  "  to  love 
your  neighbor  as  yourself  "  was  the  axis  on  which  Judaism  tm-ned. 
Such  utterances  as  these  might  be  supposed  to  cover  the  whole 
ground.  Our  sages,  however,  fearing — and  well  were  their  fears 
justified — that  ca\illers  might  desire  to  restrict  the  terms  "your 
neighbor^'  and  ask  who  is  your  neighbor?  and  answer  the  Jew  only 
— members  of  the  same  race  and  religion  —  quote  and  urge  the 
dictum  of  Ben  Azai.  This  Rabbi  summed  up  the  divine  intention 
of  the  laAVS  as  inculcated  in  the  scriptural  phrase  standing  (in  Gen. 
v:  1)  as  an  exordium  of  the  whole  Bible:  "This  is  the  book  of  the 
generations  of  man.  In  the  day  when  God  created  man,  in  the 
likeness  of  God  made  He  him."  By  thus  giving  one  common  origin 
and  parentage  to  the  human  family,  the  Bible  gives  the  golden  key 
that  opens  the  wide  portals  of  Judaism  to  all  men.  Inasmuch  as 
all  men  have  one  fashioner,  and,  therefore,  one  God,  and  as  there  is 
but  one  world  here  below  for  the  whole  physical  human  race,  diver- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


33? 


sified  though  we  are,  so  we  are  taught  by  Judaism  that  there  is  but 
one  heaven  hereafter  to  all  born  in  the  moral  image  and  spiritual 
likeness  of  our  beneficent  Creator,  and  to  whom  we  are  responsible, 
not  so  much  for  what  we  in  our  weakness  may  think,  but  for  that 
which  in  our  moral  strength  we  strive  to  do. 
A.  L.  Green. 

Rev.  a.  L.  Geeen,  of  London.  England,  late  minister  ot  one  of  the  chief   congregations  of 
the  metropolis;  a  self-made  man. 


Tribal — Belonging  to  a  tribe. 

Speciously— With  fair  appearance. 

Heresy — An  oiJinion  of  private  men  different 
to  the  established  orthodox  faith. 

Obttjseness — Bluntness;  dullness. 

Argumentum  ex  Absubdo  (Latin) — Inconsis- 
tent arguments. 

Sequitdb  (Latin, — Following  :    succeeding. 


To  Infer — To  draw  conclusions  from  fore- 
going premises. 

INOE  PTION — Beginning . 

Ex  Necessitate  (Latin) — To  make  necessary; 
forced  by  others. 

Protomartyb— First  martyr. 

Exordium — A  formal  preface. 


RECOGNITION. 


How  shall  I  know  thee,  in  the  sphere 
which  keeps 
The  disembodied  spirits  of  the  dead, 
When  all  of  thee  that  time  could  wither 
sleeps 
And    perishes    among   the   dust  we 
tread  ? 


My   name  on   earth   was  ever   in  thy 
prayer, 
And  wilt  thou  never  utter  it  in  heaven  ? 


The  love  that  lived    through   all   the 

stormy  past, 
And   meekly  with   my  harsher  nature 
bore. 

For  I  shall  feel  the   sting  of  ceaseless   And  deeper  grew,  and   tender  to  the 
pain,  last, 

If  there  I  meet  thy  gentle  presence       Shall  it  expire  with  life  and  be  no 
not;  j  more  ? 

Nor  hear  the  voice   I  love,  nor  read  | 

again  I  Shalt  thou  not  teach  me,  in  that  calmer 

In     thy   serenest    eyes     the    tender  home. 


thought. 

Will  not  thy  own  meek  heart  demand 
me  there  ? 
That  heart  whose  fondest  throbs  to 
me  were  given. 


The  wisdom  that  I  learned  so  ill  in 
this — 
The  wisdom  which  is  love — till  I  become 
Thy  fit  companion  in  that  land  of 
bliss  ? 

William  Cullen  Bryant. 


W.  C.  Bryant  was  born  in  Cummington,  Mass.,  1794.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  but 
soon  changed  that  profession  to  become  one  of  the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  New  York 
Evening  Post.  As  a  poet  tie  is  the  delight  of  his  countrymen  and  his  style  is  distinguished 
by  the  perfect  finish,  elevated  tone,  dignity  of  sentiment,  and  the  lovely  pictures  of  Ameri- 
can scenery. 


MARVELS  OF  ISRAEL'S  HISTORY. 

Can  the  world  show  anything  like  it?  Twice  1800  years  old,  they 
saw  the  proud  Egyptian  perish  in  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  ;  they 
heard  the  fall  of  great  Babylon's  power  ;  they  witnessed  the  ruins  of 
the  Syro-Macedonian  conquest.  And  now  they  have  outlived  the 
Caesars,  and  outlived  the  dark  ages.  They  have  been  through  all 
civilizations,  shared  in  all  convulsions,  and  have  kept  pace  with  the 


384  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

entire  progress  of  discovery  and  art.     And  here  they  stand  to-day, 
as  distinct  as  ever,  occupying  no  country  of  their  own,  scattered 
through  all  countries,  identical  in  their  immemorial  physiognomy, 
earth's  men  of  destiny,  before  the  venerableness  of  whose  pedigree 
the  proudest  escutcheons  of  mankind  ai'e  but  as  trifles  of  yesterday. 
But  have  they  suffered  severely  ?     One  convulsive  groan  of  agony 
breathing  through  eighteen  centuries,  and  heard  in  every  land  but 
oiu-  own.     At  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus,  besides  the  tens  of 
thousands  led  into  caj^tivity,  it  was  as  if  in  a  single  action  of  a  great 
war  the  slain  on  one  side  should  amount  to  1,300,000  ;  and  when,  the 
remaining  Jews  having  been  expelled  their  country,  they  attempted, 
sixty  years  afterward,  to  return,  a  half  million  more  were  slavightered. 
For  centuries  they  were  forbidden,  on  pain  of  death,  even  to  set  foot 
in  Jerusalem.     Under  King  John  of  England,  1,500  were  massacred 
at  York  in  one  day.     Under  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  800,000  by  a 
single  decree  were  forced  out  to  sea  in  boats,  and  the  most  of  them 
perished  in  the  waves.     They  have  been  fined  and  fleeced  by  almost 
every  government  known  to  history.     They  have  been  banished  from 
place  to  place  ;  banished  and  recalled,  and  banished  again.     By  the 
codes  of  Justinian,  they  were  incapable  of  executing  wills,  of  testify- 
ing in  covirts  of  justice,  of  having  social  and  piiblic  worship.     The 
Koran  of    Mohammed  stigmatized  them  as  wild  dogs  ;  the  Romish 
Church  excommunicated  any  one  who  held  intercourse  with  them  ; 
the  Greek  Church  uttered  anathemas  still  more  severe.     They  have 
been  forced  to  dissemble  to  save  their  lives,  and  in  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal have  even  become  bishops  and  have  governed  in  convents.     In 
the   prophetic   words   of  the    Old   Testament,  they   have    been  "  a 
reproach   and   a   proverb,  a  taunt  and   a   curse  ;"  they   have   been 
"  taken  up  in  the  lips  of  talkers,"  and  have  been  "  an  infam}'^  of  the 
peojDle  ;"  and  the  general  estimate  of  them  has  ripened  into  the 
intense  contempt  of  that  dramatic  conception — Shylock,  the  Jew  of 
Venice.     And  now  in  this  nineteenth  century  they  are  a  suffering- 
people  still,  but  still  as  indissoluble  as  ever.     But  now  all  this  is  not 
according  to  the  established  course  of  nations.     The  Northern  tribes 
came  into  Southern  Europe,  and  are  now  not  at  aU  distinguishable. 
No  Englishman  can  say  that  he  derives  from  the  Britons  and  not 
from  Normans.     On  the  contrary,  the  Jew  is  a  Jew  still.     Even  our 
own     aU-ai3j)ropriating     country,    Avhich    denationalizes    Germans, 
Irish,  French,   Sj^aniards,  Fins,  Swedes,  has    left    untouched    this 
wondrous  peoj)le.     Here  they  are,  holding  fast  to  that  one  tell-tale 
face,  keeping  up  the  sacred  learning  of  their  traditions,  self-conscious  in 
their  isolation,  irrepressible  in  their  love  of  Jerusalem,  sublime  in 
their  singular  patriotism,   evermore  looking  and  longing  for    their 
Messiah,  the  same  intense  individuality  as  when,  lord  of  the  soil,  he 
plucked  his  fruit  from  the  trees  of  Judea.     And,  what  is  more,  these 
world-wanderers  of  the  centuries,  these  tribes  of  the  weary  foot,  have 


FOR.  THE  U8E  OF  ISRAELITES.  335' 

not  only  survived,  but  have  now  risen  again  as  an  element  of  power 
among  mankind.  The  Jew  is  the  banker  of  the  world  ;  he  is  among 
the  foremost,  whether  in  science,  or  literature,  or  government.  In 
witchery  of  song  unsurpassed,  he  enchants  the  world  Avith  some  of 
the  sweetest  music  it  ever  heard.  Surely,  he  is  the  standing  miracle 
of  the  world's  current  history ;  the  bush  of  Moses,  ever  burning,  yet 
never  consumed  ;  an  ocular  demonstration  of  how  God  may  energize 
the  secret  springs  of  a  people's  life,  yet  without  disturbing  individual 
freedom  or  social  characteristics  ;  an  unanswering  refutation  of  that 
godless  philosophy  which  would  turn  the  Almighty  out  of  His  own 
universe.  And  for  what  have  they  thus  been  borne  in  the  hands  of 
God  all  along  the  ages  ?  Beyond  a  peradventure,  if  so  literally  have 
been  fulfilled  the  prophecies  which  foretold  their  sufferings  and  their 
preservation,  equally  sure  are  the  predicted  grandeurs  of  their  future. 

Bishop  Nicholson. 


GRASS  AND  ROSES. 

[From  the  Persian.] 
I  LOOKED  where  the  roses  were  blooming,  ;  We  came  to    this  place  in  His  wisdom 
They  stood  among  grasses  and  weed  ,  !      We  stay  to   this  hour  from  His  love* 
I  said,  "  Where  such  beauties  are  grow-  I 

ing,  I  "  We  have  fed  His  humblest  creatures. 

Why  suffer  these  paltry  weeds?"  We  have  served  Him  truly  and  long, 

'  He  gave  no  grace  to  our  features. 
Weeping,  the  poor  things  falter  :  We  have  neither  color  nor  song. 

"  We  have  neither  beauty  nor  bloom  ; 
We  ai"e  grass  in  the  roses'  garden,  "  Yet  He  who  made  the  flowers 

But  the  Master  gives  us  room.  Placed  us  on  the  self-same  sod; 

He  knows  our  reason  for  being — 
"  Slaves  of  a  generous  Master,  j      We  are  grass  in  the  garden  of  God." 

Born  from  a  world  above,  I  Saadl 

THE  WORK  OF  HEBRAISM. 

The  Hebrew  religion  is  full  of  vitality;  it  is  not  one  of  enervating 
mysticism,  but  an  intellectual  faith  which  nourishes  itself  with  all 
pertaining  to  the  realms  of  culture  and  science.  It  reinvigorates 
itself  with  the  realities  of  life,  not  aspiring  to  the  indefinite,  but 
hungers  and  thirsts  for  the  positive  triumph  on  earth  of  justice  and 
law;  and  for  the  space  of  two  tliousand  years  Judaism  has  not 
ceased  a  single  hour  from  this  work — from  longing  and  from  com- 
bating with  all  its  powers  for  the  triumj)h  of  the  right.  The 
modest  work  of  the  Hebrew,  silent  and  peaceful,  carried  on  in  the 
Eastern  and  AVestern  world  from  the  barbarous  to  the  mediaeval 
ages,  forms  the  subject  of  a  longer  discourse  than  these  fugitive 
pages  are  equal  to.  Let  it  suffice  here  to  recall  how  he  was  the 
bond  of  union  between  the  East  and  the  West,  between  the  ancient 
and  modern;  how  to  him  is  due  the  preservation  of  the  treasures  of 


336 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


literature ;  how  he  is  the  living  embodiment  of  his  story,  of  tradition ; 
how  to  him,  in  the  times  of  universal  darkness,  we  owe  it  that  the 
lamp  of  knowledge  burned  with  no  unceiiain  light;  that  judicial, 
medical,  philosophical  and  economical  science  still  flourished  among 
men. 

And  not  alone  for  this  have  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  thank  the 
Hebrew  race.  When  no  one  else  worked  they  ceased  not  their  in- 
defatigable joui-neyings  to  and  fi'o  in  pursuit  of  commerce  among 
diverse  people ;  and  when  the  world,  a  prey  to  barbarisms,  to  feuda- 
tories, to  the  privileged  robbers  of  the  Church,  was  only  an  area  of 
rapine  and  destruction,  these  people  ceased  not  to  work,  to  point  out 
the  great  avenues  of  commerce,  and  to  open  up  the  true  sources  of 
social  wealth.  And  when,  in  virtue  of  the  great  revolving  wheel  of 
time,  a  new  epoch  dawned,  no  people  were  found  in  a  better  condi- 
tion to  comprehend  the  change  than  the  Jews;  none  better  prepared 
to  profit  by  their  improved  social  positions.  But  under  these  hapj)ier 
circumstances  they  have  continued  with  greater  ardor  than  ever  to 
work  for  the  promotion  of  the  principles  of  justice,  of  liberty  and  of 
labor;  principles  which  were  their  strength  in  the  past  and  are  their 
most  lively  hope  in  the  future. — From  the  Italian. 


DAVID'S  LAMENT  FOE  ABSALOM. 

Alas  !  my  noble  boy,  that  thou  shouklst  |     And    the   dark   tresses   to    the  soft 
die !  j         winds  flung; 

Thou  who  wert  made  so   beautifully   But  thou  no  more,  with  thy  sweet  voice, 
fair !  shalt  come 

That  death  should  settle  in  thy  glorious       To  meet  me,  Absalom! 
eye,  ■  I 

And  leave  his  stillness  in  this  cluster-  j  And,  oh,  when  I  am  stricken,  and  my 
ing  hair !  ]         heart, 


How  could  he  mark  thee  for  the  silent 
tomb, 
My  proud  boy,  Absalom  ! 

Cold  is  thy  brow,  my  son  !  and  I  am 
chill, 
As  to  my  bosom  I  have  tried  to  press 
thee; 
How   was   I  wont  to  feel   my  pulses 
thrill, 
Like  a  rich  harp  string,  yearning  to 
caress  thee, 
And  hear  thy  sweet  "My  Father!" 
from  these  dumb 
And  cold  lips,  Absalom  ! 

But  death  is  on  thee,      I  shall  hear  the 

gush 
Of  music,  and  the  voices  of  the  young. 
And  life  will  pass  me  in  the  mantling 

blush, 


Like  a  bruised  reed,  is  waiting  to  be 
broken. 
How  wilt  its  love  for  thee,  as  I  depart, 
Yearn  for  thine  ear  to  drink  its  last 
deep  token! 
It  were  so  sweet,  amid  death's  gathering 
gloom, 
To  see  thee,  Absalom! 

And  now,  farewell!     'Tis  hard  to  give 
thee  up, 
With  death  so  like  a  gentle  slumber 
on  thee; 
And  thy  dark   sin! — Oh,  I  could  drink 
the  cup. 
If  from  this  woe  its  bitterness  had 
won  thee. 
May  God  have  called  thee,  like  a  wan- 
derer, home, 
My  lost  boy,  Absalom! 

Adapted. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  337 

SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 

It  is  often  said  that  there  is  warfare  or  contest  between  science 
and  religion.  Some  of  those  who  profess  to  have  studied  the  differ- 
ent sciences  assert  that  they  are  in  opposition  to  divine  revelation. 
It  is  true  that  all  times  the  Bible  has  had  to  sustain  the  assaults  of 
men  with  sharp  wit  and  acute  intellect;  geologists  have  ransacked 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  astronomers  tracked  the  stars  of  heaven 
to  deny,  attack,  villify,  and  throw  doubt  upon  the  truth  of  Holy 
Scriptures.  But  perhaps  no  time  has  been  so  bold  as  ours  in  the  at- 
tempt to  revile  and  refute  the  Bible.  And  as,  in  our  time,  young 
men  study  other  subjects  more  than  the  holy  word  of  God,  we  can- 
not be  astonished  to  find  that  doubts  and  uncertainties  bring  about 
indifference  and  apathy  toward  religion.  However  furious  this 
antagonism  be  between  science  and  religion  with  respect  to  those 
creeds  in  which  faith  is  opposed  to  reason,  such  a  contest  must  be 
slight  or  superficial  in  Judaism,  where  faith  and  reason  go  hand  in 
hand.  And,  indeed,  we  are  about  to  show  how,  in  Judaism,  science 
and  religion  are  allies,  co-operators,  or  in  the  words  of  the  Bible, 
"  two  roes  that  are  twins."  It  is  ti'ue  that  the  domain  of  science 
has  become  so  large  that  no  man, can  master  it  all;  but  when  the 
comparison  between  religion  and  science  is  to  be  made,  not  with 
the  floating  theories  of  the  hour,  but  with  well-established  truth,  we 
may  venture  to  convince  you  that  our  holy  faith  has  nothing  to  fear 
fi'om  its  attacks. 

If  we  take  Exod.  xix :  24,  we  find  that  Moses  and  the  people  came 
near  to  Sinai;  when  the  Lord  prepared  the  latter  for  the  great  event; 
when  he  ordered  them  to  make  bounds  round  the  mountain,  a  cir- 
cumstance from  which  the  three  next  days  are  called  the  "  Days  of 
the  Bordering;"  the  Lord  warned  them  once  more  that  they  should 
not  break  violently  through,  else  when  they  would  be  anxious  to  gaze 
at  the  divine  glory,  it  would  cost  them  their  lives.  We  hear  the 
same  warning  from  above — addressed  now  with  respect  to  the 
dangers  which  may  arise  fi'om  the  contest  between  science  and  re- 
ligion, if  we  do  not  regard  them  from  the  right  standpoint.  I  will 
venture  to  indicate  to  you  this  standpoint  in  as  brief  a  manner  as 
possible. 

The  knowledge  of  the  Lord  has  at  all  times  been  regarded  as  a 
high  mountain,  which  can  be  reached  by  sciences  that  form  the  steps 
thereto.  Maimonides  says,  in  the  beginning  of  his  great  work,  Yad 
Hachazakah : 

"  How  can  we  fear  and  love  God  ?  When  we  consider  and  reflect 
upon  the  works  and  marvelous  creations  of  the  Lord,  which  have  no 
limit  or  boundary — works  which  cannot  be  compared  with  anything 
wrought  by  man — we  must  feel  a  thirst  to  knpw  God,  and  regard 
ourselves  as  insignificant  creatures  before  Him  who  is  perfect  in  wis- 
dom." 

PAEr  in. — 22. 


338  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Moses  reached  the  highest  point  in  this  knowledge,  because  of  him 
it  is  said,  "In  all  my  dominion  he  is  faithful."  The  Psalmist  and 
the  prophets  obtained  a  high  standard,  for  they  abound  in  reflec- 
tions upon  and  joictures  of  nature.  Again,  of  Solomon  it  is  said, 
"  He  spoke  of  trees  from  the  cedar,  the  tree  that  is  in  Lebanon,  even 
unto  the  hyssoj)  that  springeth  out  of  the  wall ;  he  spoke  also  of 
beasts,  of  fowls,  of  creeping  things,  and  of  fishes,"  which  means  that 
physical  science  was  at  his  command.  The  teachers  of  the  Talmud 
also  made  science  the  Hagar — handmaid — to  Sarah,  the  mistress  of 
theology.  And,  indeed,  they  ought  to  be  regarded  thus  ancillary. 
Science  teaches  astronomy  ;  but  who  is  it,  we  ask  with  Job,  that 
built  the  universe,  ordained  the  sun's  motion,  projected  the  comets, 
placed  the  moon  and  stars  in  their  orbits,  "  each  in  its  proper  station, 
service  and  charge,"  like  the  tribes  in  wilderness  ?  Science  teaches 
geology  ;  but  who  has  created  the  rocks  of  ages,  the  hills  of  the 
earth,  "  who  removeth  the  mountains  and  thej^  know  not,  and  shaketh 
the  earth  so  that  the  pillars  thereof  tremble"?  Science  teaches 
botany,  but  who  gave  such  wondrous  beauty  and  fragrance  to  the 
herbs,  shrubs  and  flowers?  Science  teaches  zoology,  but  "who  pro- 
videth  for  the  raven  his  provision,  when  his  young  ones  cry  unto 
God,  and  wander  about  for  lack  of  food  "?  You  must  admit  that  all 
these  sciences,  rightly  understood,  are  not  antagonists,  but  helpers 
and  aids  to  the  knowledge  of  God. 

The  same  is  true  with  regard  to  the  providence  of  God,  which  also 
can  be  better  understood  by  the  help  of  science.  There  is  not  a  leaf 
that  moves,  not  a  wave  that  rises  and  sinks,  not  a  ray  of  the  sun  that 
beams,  not  a  whisper  of  the  wind,  that  does  not  teach  the  provi- 
dence of  God.  And  we  ascend  higher  up  to  man,  who  can  deny 
the  argument  which  the  Psalmist  adduces  to  prove  God's  direct  and 
immediate  providence  ?  "  He  that  planted  the  ear,  shall  he  not  hear? 
He  that  formed  the  eye,  shaU  he  not  see?  He  that  fashioned  the 
brains  and  the  reins,  shall  he  not  be  able  to  reflect?  He  that 
teacheth  man  knowledge,  shall  he  not  know?"  He  knows  our 
thoughts,  every  word  before  it  is  on  our  tongue,  nay,  the  smallest 
incident,  since  they  are  often  the  cause  and  origin  of  the  greatest 
events. 

But  do  yovi  need  a  proof  of  God's  providence  ?  Can  you  want 
any  proof?  Is  it  not  abundantly  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  you 
are  here  as  Israelites,  still  existing,  and  prospering,  and  flourishing 
after  all  the  trials  and  persecutions  which  our  nation  has  for  so  long 
a  time  borne,  compared  with  which  those  of  Eoumania  are  almost 
light.  Yes,  history,  our  history,  gives  evidence  of  God's  direct  and 
special  providence. 

Revelation  on  Sinai  regards  science,  not  as  its  rival,  but  as  its  ally. 
What  do  we  generally  hear  urged  against  the  Bible  ?  That  the 
teachings  of  geology  are  oj^jDOsed  to  its  statements.     For,  according 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  339 

to  that  science,  tlie  world  must  have  ah-eady  existed  millions  of  years. 
According  to  a  statement  in  the  Talmud,  the  world  was  from  the  be- 
ginning created  in  its  finished  state,  with  all  its  strata  and  with  all  its 
layers.  "  The  whole  creation  was  called  into  existence  in  its  full 
growth,  beauty  and  development" —  a  theory  by  means  of  which  all 
the  objections  will  fall  to  the  ground.  This,  moreover,  I  would  say, 
that  belief  in  revelation  can  be  obtained  either  by  faith  or  by  science. 
Wlien  obtained  by  the  latter  method,  it  is  like  a  movintain,  the  top  of 
which  will  aiford  an  excellent  view  in  ascending,  while  there  are 
some  positions  in  which  this  view  is  hidden,  concealed  or  seen  only 
by  a  kind  of  optical  delusion.  Geology  is  a  growing  science.  We 
know  what  our  forefathers  never  dreamed  of;  that,  for  instance,  the 
diamond  which  flashes  on  your  finger  is  but  a  piece  of  coal;  that 
the  water  which  extinguishes  fire  is  composed  of  two  elements  which 
burn  with  light  and  heat.  A  boy  is  now  familiar  with  facts  which 
w^ould  have  astonished  Newton.  At  present,  it  seems  to  the  geologists 
that  their  science  is  in  opposition  to  the  Bible;  but  do  we  know 
whether  our  children  will  not  laugh  at  their  speculations,  as  they 
laugh  at  those  of  their  forefathers,  and  then  will  be  brought  into 
harmony  with  the  word  of  God  ? 

But  two  conditions  are  required  in  the  study  of  science  and  revela- 
tion. Do  not  violently  break  through;  do  not  climb  the  mountain 
too  boldly,  lest  the  Lord  might  break  forth  upon  you.  We  may 
study  science  to  make  ourselves  acquainted  with  nature,  but  it  must 
lead  to  nature's  God.  We  may  earnestly  seek  for  second  causes,  but 
they  must  lead  to  the  first  caiise.  Forget  not  that  after  all  the  Torah 
is  like  the  sun,  the  greater  luminary,  and  science  like  the  moon,  the 
lesser  luminary;  and  we  may  apply  to  them  the  well-known  legend 
that  when  at  first  two  great  lights  had  been  created,  the  moon  said, 
"  Two  kings  cannot  have  one  crown,"  and  rule  at  once  over  the  same 
area.  When  you  find  that  a  theory  of  science  will  undermine  your 
belief  in  God  and  revelation,  foUow  the  greater  and  not  the  lesser 
light.  "  Come  not  to  gaze  at  the  holy  things  with  arrogance  and 
presumption,  lest  ye  die."  When  the  spies  presumed  to  go  up  to 
conquer  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  ark  and  Moses  were  not  with  them, 
they  were  smitten  and  discomfited  even  unto  Hormah.  When  four 
of  the  wise  men  entered  Paradise,  which  is  perhajDS  another  word 
for  the  garden  of  science,  only  Rabbi  Akiva  entered  and  went  out 
in  peace,  delighting  in  its  flowers;  but  Acher,  who  plucked  them, 
turned  an  infidel. 

The  second  condition  is,  that  when  any  speculation  of  science  will 
lead  you  away  from  any  duty  toward  God,  from  keeping  the  Sab- 
bath, or  observing  the  dietary  laws,  be  firm;  obey  the  divine  law 
and  abandon  the  speculation.  Forget  not  that  any  theory  which  is 
opposed  to  religion  is  but  a  floating  theory,  resting  on  the  surface. 
And  it  will  fail  either  in  its  premises  or  in  its  conclusion;  for  the 


340  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

fault  lies  not  in  religion,  but  in  those  who  pi'omulgate  that  as  science 
which  is  not  science,  and  give  forth  theories  which  deprive  you  of 
aU  means  of  self-controL  while  the  Torah  makes  you  better  physi- 
cally, mentally,  morally  and  spiritually.  For  this  reason  our  fore- 
fathers said  at  Mount  Sinai,  "we  wiU  do,"  before  "wewiU  inquire." 
Knowledge  is  required,  but  good  works  have  the  precedence.  It  is 
not  what  we  know,  but  what  we  practice,  which  is  important.  What 
Aristotle  said  of  his  book,  "  That  book  is  written  not  for  knowledge, 
but  for  action,"  is  much  more  true  of  the  Torah.  Bear  in  mind  that 
at  aU  times  skepticism  wanted  to  do  its  dangerous  work.  Our  fore- 
fathers also  saw  the  Torah  attacked  and  villified,  and  brought  in  col- 
Usion  with  the  science  of  their  day.  Still  they  shed  their  blood, 
laid  down  their  lives,  sacrificed  that  which  was  near  and  dear  to 
them,  rather  than  trangress  one  important  law  of  God.  Especially 
this  day  forms  the  anniversary  of  the  period  when  hundreds  of  our 
fathers  and  mothers  became  martyrs  for  their  God  and  their  religion ; 
when,  according  to  ovir  history,  the  wives  and  mothers  died  more 
cheerfully  and  resolutely  than  the  fathers  and  husbands,  because 
their  faith  was  stronger.  Study  science,  study  religious  knowledge. 
Should  a  doubt  enter  and  take  root  in  your  heart,  give  the  benefit  of 
the  doubt  to  the  Torah — do  not  throw  aside  any  of  God's  com- 
mandments. Beware  of  your  heart,  keep  it  with  all  diligence,  that 
nothing  may  find  lodgment  therein  which  might  break  through 
the  boundaries  which  God  hath  set.  Then  the  law  will  protect  and 
shield  thee. 

"  Wlien  thou  goest  it  shaU  lead  thee,  when  thou  sleepest  it  shall 
keep  thee,  and  when  thou  awakest  it  shall  commune  with  thee." 

Nathan  Marcus  Adlee. 


Rev.  Dk.  N.  M.  Adleb,  Chief  Babbi  of  Great  Britain  and  noted  for  his  erudition  and  ex- 
treme piety.    He  is  the  author  of  several  works  which  gained  him  a  European  reputation. 
Thoka  (Hebrew)— Law ;  Scriptures:  Holy  Writ. 


Almighty  !  what  is  man  ? 

Bat  flesh  and  blood. 

Like  shadows  flee  his  days. 

He  marks  not  how  they  vanish  from 

his  gaze — 
Suddenly  must  he  die, 
He  droppeth,  stunned,  into  nonenity. 

Almighty  !  what  is  man  ? 
A  body  frail  and  weak. 
Full  of  deceit  and  lies, 
Of  vile  hypocrisies. 
Now  like  a  flower  blowing, 


HYMN. 

(by  gabirol.) 

Now  scorched  by  sunbeams  glowing. 

And  wilt  thou  of  his  trespasses  inquire '? 

How  may  he  ever  bear 

Thine  anger  just,  thy  vengeance  dire? 

Punish  him  not,  but  spare. 

For  he  is  void  of  power  or  strength. 


Almighty!  what  is  man  ? 

By  filthy  lust  possessed, 

Whirled  in  a  round  of  lies, 

Pond  frenzy  swells  his  breast. 

The  pure  man  sinks  in  mire  and  slime, 

The  noble  shrinketh  not  from  crime. 


FOK  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


341 


Wilt  thou  send  ou  him  the  charms  of 

sin  ? 
Like  fading  grass 
So  shall  he  pass, 
Like  chaff  that  blows 
Where  the  wind  goes. 
Then  spare  him,  be  Thou  merciful,  0 

King, 
Upon  the  dreaded  day  of  reckoning. 

Almighty!  what  is  man  ? 
The  haughty  son  of  time. 
Drinks  deep  of  sin, 
And  feeds  on  crime. 
Seething  like  waves  that  roll, 
Hot  as  a  glowing  coal. 
And  wilt  thou  punish  him  for  shis  in- 
born ■? 
Lost  and  forlorn, 

Then  like  the  weakling  he  must  fall, 
Who  some  great  hero  strives  withal. 
Qh,  spare  him,  therefore!  let  him  win 
Grace  for  his  sin. 

Almighty!  what  is  man? 

Spotted  in  guilty  wise, 

A  stranger  unto  faith, 

Whose  tongue  is  stained  with  lies. 

And  shalt  thou  count  his  sins — so  is  he 

lost? 
Uprooted  by  thy  breath, 
Like  to  a  stream,  by  tempests  tost. 
His  life  falls  from  him  like  a  cloak, 
He  passes  into  nothingness  like  smoke. 
Then  spare  him,  punish  not,  be  kind,  I 

pray, 
To  him  who  dwelleth  in  the  dust,  an 

image  wrought  in  clay! 


Almighty!  what  is  man  ? 

A  withered  bough; 

When  he  is  awe-struck  by  approaching 

doom, 
Like  a  dried  blade  of  grass,  so  weak, 

so  low. 
The  pleasure  of  his  life  is  changed  to 

gloom, 
He  crumbles   like   a   garment   spoiled 

with  moth. 
According  to    his   sins   wilt  Thou   be 

wroth  ? 
He  melts  like  wax  before  the  candle's 

breath, 
Yea,  like  thin  water,  so  he  vanisheth. 
Oh,    spare     him,    therefore,    for  Thy 

gracious  name. 
And  be  not  too  severe  upon  his  shame  ! 

Almighty  !  what  is  man  ? 

A  faded  leaf. 

If  thou  dost  weigh  him  in  the  balance 
— lo! 

He  disappears — a  breath  that  thou 
dost  blow. 

His  heart  is  ever  filled 

With  lust  of  lies,  unstilled. 

Wilt  bear  in  mind  his  crime 

Unto  all  time? 

He  fades  away  like  clouds  sun-kissed, 

Dissolves  like  mist. 

Then  spare  him  !  let  him  love  and  mercy 
win. 

According  to  Thy  grace  and  not  accord- 
ing to  his  sin ! 

Emma  Lazarus. 


Emma  Lazakus,  a  lady  of  high  talent  and  noted  for  her  literary  contributions  both  in 
prose  and  verse  to  some  of  the  leading  papers  and  periodicals  of  America,  and  greatly  esteemed 
on  account  of  her  sincere  attachment  to  Judaism. 


THE  KEJUVENESCENCE  OF  THE  HEBKEW  RACE. 

The  first  test  which  a  nationaHty  has  to  stand  in  order  to  show 
durability  and  power  in  developing  an  unimpaired  existence,  is  its 
capability  of  rejuvenescence,  after  having  once  overcome  the  weak- 
ness of  old  age.  If,  therefore,  any  proofs  of  its  resurrection  fi'om  its 
grave-like  slumber  are  once  given,  then  its  immortahty  is  thus 
clearly  established.  It  must  be  able  to  rise,  if  at  any  time  made 
low,  and  it  must  preserve  in  adverse  times  vital  power  like  an  inex- 
tinguishable spark  amidst  a  heap  of  ashes.      The  Talmud  has  an  in- 


343  SCBOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

genious  allegory  concerning  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  When 
death  and  putrefaction  have  dispersed  the  atoms  of  the  human 
frame  far  and  wide,  there  still  remains  in  the  spine  a  small  bone 
that  resists  all  destruction,  and  that  cannot  be  demolished  even  by 
the  anvil.  It  is  fi'om  this  indestructible  solid  part  the  resurrection 
develops  itself.  If,  therefore,  a  people  be  possessed  of  such  a 
jDrecious  kernel,  then  neither  iron,  nor  fire,  nor  any  corrosive  acidities, 
can  destroy  it,  but  the  same  will  expand  even  when  pressed  down  by 
gravity  into  the  smallest  compass. 

The  Hebrew  race  is  now  quite  j^lainly  entering  upon  a  process  of 
rejuvenescence,  of  which  we  have  had  hardly  any  presentiment.  The 
enemies  of  Judaism  jDcrceive  it  with  suppressed  rage.  Jews  who 
consider  themselves  cosmoj^olitans,  shake  their  heads  doubtfully, 
while  those  pious  to  the  very  letter  do  really  place  their  hope  there- 
in; but  all  are  startled  at  the  appearance.  Is,  therefore,  this  ap- 
parently incredible  movement  real  palpitation  of  the  heart,  or 
merely  the  galvanic  short-lived  motions  of  a  corpse  ?  Is  it  possible 
that  diseased  and  disj^ersed  bones  could  revive  again  ?  This  question, 
in  the  very  same  form,  was  once  started  by  a  Hebrew  seer,  at  a  time 
when  the  Jewish  race  resembled  a  corpse,  even  more  so  than  the  case 
is  now  :  and  the  spirit  which  came  over  him  showed  hira  how  bone 
moved  near  to  bone,  and  these  became  covered  with  flesh,  a  skin 
stretching  over  the  same,and  at  last  a  vital  spirit  entered  these  bones, 
which  made  them  in  living  form.  The  fact  is  that  the  Hebrew  race 
experienced  such  a  resurrection  fi-om  death  during  the  Babylonian 
captivity,  and  it  is  highly  suggestive  to  note  how  this  process, 
from  an  almost  imperceptible  beginning,  has  brought  about  an  era 
which  is  now  exciting  the  greatest  astonishment.  This  rejuven- 
escence of  the  organism  of  the  Jewish  race  offers  also  in  many  other 
respects  an  interesting  analogy,  and  deserves  to  be  known  in  its 
proper  light. 

In  times  past,  of  the  five  to  six  millions  of  Jews  belonging  to  the 
Israelitish  nation,  almost  two-thirds  were  transplanted,  one  and  a 
half  centuries  before  the  beginning  of  the  Babylonian  captivity,  to 
Media,  Bactria,  and  the  country  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  there, 
amidst  the  natives,  their  total  decline  took  place.  Even  the  most 
strenuous  inquiries  proved  unsuccessful  in  discovering  only  the 
sHghtest  trace  of  the  ten  tribes.  "As  the  day  gone  by  will  never  aj)- 
pear  again,  so  will  the  ten  tribes  never  return,"  was  the  sober  ob- 
servation of  Rabbi  Akiba  seventeen  centuries  ago.  Everything 
which  at  the  present  time  is  fabled  about  the  existence  of  the  lost 
tribes  is  either  a  mere  whim  of  learning  or  nothing  but  ignorance. 
The  principal  stem  of  the  remaining  third — the  tribe  of  Judah — 
was  transported  to  the  left  shore  of  the  Euphrates.  Small  pai'ties 
thereof  sejDarated  as  far  as  Egypt,  or  Avere  sold  for  slaves  by  the 
Greek  and  Phoenician  pirates  at  the  coast  towns,  and  the  islands 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  343 

situated  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Slavery  commenced  when  dis- 
persion took  phxce.  "  To  become  scattered  to  all  the  four  comers  of 
the  world,"  was  the  soiTowful  thought  which  the  prophets  imparted 
to  the  Jewish  race  in  early  times,  even  when  the  state  was  still  in 
existence  as  an  unbroken  power. 

The  exiles  in  Babylon  formed  the  nucleus  and  the  heart  of  the 
national  organism  weakened  already  on  aU  sides.  In  their  midst 
was  the  Jewish  nobility,  as  far  as  they  did  not  succumb  to  the 
Chaldean  conqueror  in  defending  their  fatherland  and  the  capital. 
There  were  also  some  descendants  of  the  royal  family,  and  among 
them  one  who  wore  the  crown  of  David  during  a  hundred  days,  in 
order  to  wander  from  the  throne  to  the  prison,  and  to  be  freed  from 
it  when  near  the  end  of  his  life.  There  were  the  priestly  Levites  of 
the  house  of  Aaron,  who,  after  the  temple  was  laid  in  ashes,  became 
the  bearers  of  the  portable  sanctuary,  the  holy  law,  which  was  then 
their  sole  care.  Those  who  were  ah'eady  settled  there  a  half  century, 
possessing  land,  herds,  and  slaves,  felt  home-born  in  Babylon,  forgot 
the  lost  fatherland,  the  destroyed  Jerusalem,  and  the  destruction  of 
the  Temple.  These  then  soon  adopted  the  Babylonian  worship 
of  idols,  being  used  from  home  to  idolatry,  under  a  coloring  of 
Israelitish  worship. 

Besides  this  class,  doing  homage  to  whatever  seemed  practical 
and  the  fashion  of  the  day,  were  some  who,  with  all  their  attach- 
ment to  what  they  received  from  their  forefathers,  were  dolefully 
despairing  of  the  possibility  of  a  restoration  of  the  Jewish  state,  and 
the  rebuilding  of  the  sanctuary.  They  declared  of  themselves,  "  Our 
nature  is  faded,  our  hope  is  vanished,  we  are  doomed  to  perish." 
God  Himself,  thought  tliey,who  sent  so  much  misery  upon  His  holy 
people,  delivering  his  sanctuaries  unto  the  enemy;  God  Himself  has 
deserted,  cast  oft'  and  forgotten  Israel.  In  ancient  times  the  idea 
was  indelible  that  peojDle,  soil  and  Deity  are  inseparable,  and  a 
nation,  severed  fi'om  its  mother  country,  has  lost  all  support,  and 
even  God  Himself,  however  high  Israelitish  consciousness  may 
have  placed  him,  stands  in  a  certain  relation  to  the  country,  which 
he  promised  to  the  patriarchs,  and  presented  unto  their  sons.  With 
the  banishment  of  this  holy  nation  and  the  estrangement  of  the 
holy  land,  the  band  which  imited  the  Temple  with  heaven  seemed 
forever  broken.  In  this  manner  they  resigned  themselves  to  their 
fate ;  and,  although  they  did  not  worship  the  customary  idols  of  the 
day,  they  had  nevertheless  no  confidence  in  their  own  affairs. 

But  the  situation  of  the  Babylonian  captives  Avas,  just  during  the 
last  years  previous  to  their  deliverance,  of  such  a  nature  as  to  deprive 
them  of  all  courage,  and  to  make  them  consider  it  mere  foUy  to  hope 
for  a  restoration.  At  that  period  the  Jewish  nation  experienced 
for  the  first  time  that  fi-ightful  form  of  servitude,  by  which  it  became 
a  mockerj'  to  the  thoughtless  multitude,  who,  adhering  to  externals, 


344  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

tried  to  provoke  it  to  self-contempt.  Already,  in  the  Babylonian 
captivity,  Israel  was  obliged  "  to  hold  forth  his  body  to  be  flogged, 
and  his  beard  to  be  plucked."  The  haughty  conqueror  told  him 
already  at  that  time,  *'  Kneel  down  that  I  may  crush  thee,"  and  he 
acquired  the  endurance  of  seeing  "  his  body  exposed  to  the  feet  of 
his  oppressors."  At  that  time  the  outer  world  said  of  the  people  of 
the  Jewish  race,  "She  has  no  form,  nor  appearance,  nor  comeliness, 
that  we  should  fall  in  love  with  her;  she  is  despised,  abandoned  by 
men,  aftected  with  pain,  with  sorrow."  She  was  then  ah-eady  beaten 
and  tortured  without  opening  her  mouth.  "  Like  a  lamb  she  was 
led  to  slaughter  and  shorn  like  a  sheep,  but  remained  dumb  and 
never  opened  her  mouth."  The  school  of  suffering  oppression, 
hatred,  contempt,  scorn,  flogging,  ill-usage  and  misapprehensions, 
which  the  Jewish  race  was  to  undergo  at  a  later  period,  even 
through  many  centuries,  and  which  impressed  her  history  with 
tragical  appearance  aU  this  commenced  during  the  Babylonian 
captivity. 

But  just  amid  these  innumerable  sufferings,  and  in  spite  of  the 
apostacy  of  the  one  party  and  the  dejection  of  the  other,  there  rose 
a  circle  of  ardent  adherents  to  the  God  of  Israel,  whose  hope  in  a 
brighter  future  never  ceased.  These  were  the  "men  of  endurance," 
unmindful  of  their  sufferings,  sad  in  mind  and  broken  hearted,  and 
who,  in  their  entire  devotion,  in  their  humility  and  self-denial, 
cleaved  to  God  and  left  everj^thing  to  His  divine  will.  It  was  the 
circle  of  those  who  "mourned  for  Zion,"  and  sat  weeping  on  the 
rivers  of  Babylon,  as  often  as  they  remembered  the  desolation  of  the 
sanctuary  ;  who  suspended  their  harps  on  the  willows  and  would 
not  sing  Zion's  song  in  a  foreign  country.  The  famous  poet  who 
sang,  "  I  will  forget  my  right  hand  if  my  remembrance  of  thee  does 
not  surpass  aU  gladness,"  also  belonged  to  this  circle.  A  few 
Judean  servants  of  the  court,  and  the  eunuchs  who  kept  the 
Sabbath,  and  adhered  to  the  Israelitish  covenant,  were  likewise  of 
this  order.  This  then  was  the  precious  kernel  of  the  "  indestructible 
bone  "  from  which  the  rejuvenescence  proceeded. 

But  how  was  this  wonderful  fact,  so  rich  in  consequences,  and 
showing  its  after-effect  even  unto  this  day,  brought  about?  Not 
perhaps  by  the  return  from  the  Babylonian  captivity,  for  this  event 
was  the  result  of  preceding  causes,  and  would  have  been  but  of 
little  use  had  not  the  half  dead  Jewish  race  been  called  into  fi'esh 
existence  previously.  And  to  whom  is  this  resuscitation  to  be  at- 
tributed ?  It  proceeded  from  a  single  j)erson,  who  certainly  was  a 
God-fearing  man,  and  who  understood  the  signs  of  the  times  in 
order  to  adopt  the  right  plan.  He  knew  how  to  raise  the  skimber- 
ing  echoes  in  every  one's  mind,  whose  powerful  and  inspired,  at 
times  encouraging  and  at  times  warning  voice,  was  well  calculated 
to  transform  depression  into  courage,  despair  into  hope,  timidity 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  345 

into  confidence,  indifference  into  partici])ation,  and  even  lethargy 
to  sensibility.  Th6  pencil  of  history  has  not  preserved  the  name 
of  this  prophet,  and,  therefore,  he  is  commonly  called  the  Baby- 
lonian or  exiled  Isaiah.  This  name  he  deserves,  at  any  rate,  for  m 
loftiness,  beauty,  and  impressiveness  of  prophetical  poetry'  he  was 
surely  not  inferior  to  the  son  of  Amos,  and  his  views  extended  even 
further  than  those  of  the  latter. 

But  as  soon  as  the  historical  work  was  undergoing  a  fresh  change 
by  the  hand  of  the  daring  but  mild  conqueror,  Cyrus,  who  led  his 
strength  of  Media  and  Persia  against  the  aU-goveming  Chaldaic- 
Babylonian  kingdom,  in  order  to  destroy  it  and  to  establish  a  newer 
empire,  than  the  exiled  Isaiah  sounded  the  word  Zion !  giving  it  an 
inimitable  magic,  now  in  a  sorrowful,  tragic  tone,  and  then  again  in 
an  excited  strain  of  triumj)h,  so  as  to  make  it  vibrate  in  the  inner- 
most recesses  of  the  people's  hearts.  He  represented  Jerusalem  as 
a  widow  shrouded  in  mourning,  who  had  drained  the  cup  of  sorrow 
to  the  dregs.  "  She  is  the  unhappy,  disti'acted,  disconsolate  widow, 
who  has  borne  so  long  the  shame  of  being  childless."  But  he  called 
unto  her  "  to  shake  off  the  dust  of  lowliness,  to  expand  her  tents 
largely;  for  her  dwelling  will  become  too  smaU  for  the  multitude  of 
her  own  admirers,  as  well  as  of  strangers,  so  that  she  herself  shall  be 
surprised  as  to  who  has  born  all  those  for  her,  childless,  forsaken, 
banished  and  desolate  as  she  has  been."  But  in  spite  of  the  unbe- 
lieving, the  scoruers  and  the  despisers,  he  foretold  a  speedy  redemp- 
tion through  "  Koresh  "  (Cyrus),  whom  God  has  called  and  chosen, 
and  to  whom  He  will  impart  strength  in  his  conquests.  No  prophet 
has,  the  same  as  he,  poured  consolation  into  the  heart  of  the  sufferers 
and  hope  into  the  mind  of  the  exhausted.  The  balm  of  his  words 
is  able  even  unto  this  day  to  heal  the  wounds  of  many  a  broken 
spirit. 

Israel,  however,  should  not  enter  upon  the  approaching  redemp- 
tion in  a  state  of  contamination,  but  should  merit  the  same  through 
self-excellence  and  nobleness  of  mind.  He  should  seek  bod,  for 
His  help  is  close  at  hand.  He  should  undo  the  knots  of  malice, 
loosen  the  fetters  of  slavery,  discharge  the  oppressed  from  servitude, 
bestow  bread  on  the  hungry,  give  shelter  to  the  suffering  poor, 
clothe  the  naked,  and  not  to  turn  away  from  the  afflicted  kinsmen 
of  his  own  race.  Then  shaU  light  of  Israel  rise  Aurora-like,  and 
his  cure  will  speedily  be  brought  about.  Israel's  heavy  afflictions 
were  conceived  by  the  great  projDhet  of  the  exile  in  a  very  high 
point  of  view.  The  painful  martyrdom  was  requisite  for  his  cure. 
Not  only  Israel  himself,  but  also  the  sinful  woi'ld  of  heathenism, 
shall  be  expiated  thereby.  God  himself  denied  Israel's  humihation. 
"  If  he  considers  himself  a  guilty  sacrifice,  then  he  will  see  a  long- 
abiding  posterity,  and  through  his  instrumentality  God's  purpose 
will  be  promoted.     Because  he  is  ready  to  consecrate  himself  to  die 


346  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

and  is  counted  with  the  criminals,  he  thus  bears  the  sins  of  many, 
and  appears  as  mediator  for  those  who  have  gone  astray." 

No  one  better  conceived  and  represented  Israel's  ideal  vocation 
than  did  Isaiah.  The  Jewish  nation  is  the  apostle  whom  God  sends 
to  the  idolatrous,  wicked,  morally  corrupted  world.  She  shall  be  a 
light  unto  all  nations,  in  order  that  God's  salvation  may  reach  to  all 
the  corners  of  the  earth.  Israel,  "  the  servant  "of  God,"  has  a  mouth 
like  a  sharp-edged  sword,  and  is  destined  to  be  the  chosen  ari'ow. 
God  has  poured  out  His  spirit  upon  this  race,  that  it  may  possess 
the  power  of  conveying  right  unto  all  nations,  but  "  she  shall  not 
scream  aloud,  nor  become  proud,  nor  allow  her  voice  to  be  loudly 
heard  in  the  street.  She  shall  not  act  by  way  of  force,  nor  even 
break  a  bent  reed,  nor  extinguish  even  a  glowing  wick,  but  through 
meekness  she  shall  promote  justice  according  to  truth. '  Israel  is 
anxiously  looking  for  the  great  event  of  the  coming  of  a  Messiah, 
the  anointed  of  the  house  of  David,  upon  whom  the  spirit  of  God 
wiU  rest.  In  him  all  the  ardent  hopes  of  the  Jewish  race  are  cen- 
tered; hence  every  Israelite  is  composed  of  the  matter  to  be  a 
Messiah,  for  God  has  ordained  that  through  his  instrumentality  uni- 
versal harmony  shall  be  established  in  the  world,  when  all  its  in- 
habitants shall  pay  homage  to  the  Lord,  who  is  king  over  all  the 
earth.  Thus  Israel  will  become  the  savior  of  the  world,  and  he  will 
announce  the  word  of  deliverance.  Tlie  sorrowful,  despised,  crushed 
and  sei'vile  form  is  called  for  a  higher  purpose,  just  on  account  of  its 
suffering  condition.  The  crown  of  thorns  which  this  Messianic 
race  bears  so  patiently  makes  her  woithy  of  a  kingly  diadem.  A 
nation  which  throvigh  affliction  and  death  shaU  be  aroused  unto  a 
resuiTection,  even  through  the  gates  of  the  grave  unto  life,  such  a 
nation  is  reaUy  praiseworthy ! 

The  exiled  prophet  quickened  the  minds  of  his  contemporaries  in 
regard  to  another  matter.  The  enemies  of  Israel  will  become  his 
friends  and  confederates.  Many  of  the  prophets  in  their  inspired 
views  have  indeed  prophesied  the  participation  of  the  nations  in 
Israel's  future  welfare,  but  none  have  given  such  a  correct  and  clever 
description  of  the  universality  of  Judaism  as  the  exiled  Isaiah: 
"The  neighbors,  the  strangers,  the  sons  of  heathenism  shall  not  say 
the  Lord  .will  separate  us  from  His  people.  But  the  strangers  who 
will  join  Him,  to  serve  Him,  to  love  Him  and  to  be  His  sen^ants,  He 
will  rather  lead  them  to  His  holy  mountain,  for  His  Temple  wiU  be  a 
house  of  prayer  for  all  nations."  These  noble  thoughts,  flowing 
from  the  heart  and  the  most  profound  conviction,  and  spoken  with 
eloquence,  must  aU  have  died  away  in  the  air,  had  not  the  few  re- 
maining exiles  of  Judea  sufficient  susceptibility  that  they  themselves 
laboredto  bring  about  their  rejuvenescence.  Under  this  insj)iration 
the  people  consented  to  be  aroused  unto  a  resurrection. 

The  apparently  dry  bones  moved  one  unto  the  other,  became 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES. 


347 


covered  with  Hesli  and  skin,  and  took  within  them  the  breath  of  life. 
The  circle  of  the  "  ardent  men  of  the  word  of  God  "  1  )ecame  larger 
day  by  day.  The  more  Cyrus  approached  the  Chaldean  caj)ital,  the 
more  did  the  hope  revive  of  the  recovery  of  the  lost  independence 
and  nationality.  The  "Eunuchs"  of  the  tribe  of  Judea,  the  de- 
scendants of  the  house  of  David,  Zerubabel,  "  the  strangers,"  who 
joined  Judea  from  pure  love  of  God,  became  all  very  active  to  realize 
the  words  of  the  prophet.  Self-examination  soon  began ;  and  the 
idolatry,  with  which  many  exiles  were  still  affected,  was  thoroughly 
and  forever  abolished.  It  was  the  work  of  inflamed  inspiration 
which  executed  the  miracle  which  many  previously  thought  impos- 
sible. As  soon  as  Cyrus  made  an  end  to  the  Babylonian  kingdom, 
he  in  a  wonderful  manner  fulfilled  the  hopes  of  the  exiles  by  pro- 
claiming: "  Whoever  is  willing  to  return  to  Jerusalem  is  permitted 
to  do  so.'"  There  were  above  40,000  families  who  resolved  upon  re- 
turning home,  at  the  head  of  whom  moved  a  king's  son  of  the 
family  of  David,  and  a  high-priest  of  the  house  of  Aaron.  This 
small  number  formed  a  state  once  more,  producing  again  its  heroes 
— heroes  of  the  sword  and  of  intellect — who  became  noted  in  name 
and  in  deed  even  unto  the  whole  world.  This  small  number  has 
poured  its  healthy  and  nourishing  sap  into  the  veins  of  mankind. 
H.  Geaetz. 


Rejuvenescence — A  renewing  of  yoiitli. 

Putrefaction — The  state  of  growing  rotten. 

CoBKOSlvE — Having  the  power  of  wearing 
away. 

Cosmopolitan— One  at  home  everywhere. 

Galvanic — A  kind  of  electricity  invented  by 
Dr.  Galvani,  an  Italian. 

Analogy — Eesemblance  between  things. 


DoLEFUL^Sorrowful . 
Indelible — Not  to  be  blotted  out. 
Contamination— Defilement ;  corruption. 
Lethakgy— 'A  drowsiness. 
Universality — Extending  to  the  whole. 
Susceptibility — Tendency  to  admit. 
Inspiration — Infusion    of    ideas    into    the 
mind  by  a  superior  power. 


THE  SEVENTY-SECOND  PSALM. 


Oh 


God,   with    judgment     bless     the 

king, 
His  son,  beloved  of  Thee,  we  sing, 
All  time  shall  prove  him  faithful,  true. 
All  honest  poof  shall  have  their  due. 

The  mountain  peaks,  in  peace,  no  less 
Rejoice  thou  hills  in  righteousness. 
He'll  judge  and  bless  all  humble  folk, 
And  save  poor  children  from  the  yoke. 

The  oppressor's  power,  he'll  crush  out- 
right. 
And  sooner  fades  noon's  orb  from  sight. 
And  moons  no  longer  wax  and  wane. 
Than  the  oppress'd  seek  help  in  vain. 

As  rains  revive  the  shorn-oflt  mead, 
And  showers  quicken  covered  seed, 
His  grace  revives  all  upright  hearts, 
And  endless  peace  His  nameimparts. 


From  Eastern  river,  Eden's  bpwer, 
Through  Western  worlds  men  own  his 

power; 
Wild  men,  subdued,  approach  his  seat 
His  foes  lie  prostrate  at  his  feet. 

The  kings  of  Tarshish  and  the  isles 
Where  blind  idolatry  defiles, 
Both  Sheba's  kings  and  Seba's,  too. 
Shall  give  up  all  his  will  to  do. 

Yea,  all  earth's  kings  shall  to  him  bow, 
All  gentiles  serve  him  under  vow. 
And  why  ?  because  he  saves  the  poor. 
All  helpless  ones  have  his  help  sure. 

He'll  save  the  contrite  and  the  poor. 
Assist  them  their  trials  to  endm-e; 
Redeemed  from  fraud  and  violence, 
Their  blood  he  counts  of  worth  immense. 


348  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

To  him  shall  Sheba's  gold  be  brought,  ,  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  Israel's  king, 

And  for  his  reign  all  blessings  sought,  :  His  praise  let  every  creature  sing, 
The  saved  in  gratitude  shall  sing,  Whose  love  suspends  primeval  law, 

All  time  with  daily  prayers  ring.  I  Whose  miracles  impress  with  awe. 


A  mountain  peak  may  have  some  corn, 
Which  spreads  till  rustling  stocks  adorn 
A  towering  ridge  like  Lebanon; 
So  grows  the  realm  of  David's  son. 


With  blessings  of  eternity 
Crown  his  one  name  eternally. 
Great  name  !  too  brilliant  for  man's  ken  ! 
All  earth  shall  sanctify.     Amen. 


His  name  shall  bloom  in  Israel's  rhymes.  All  prayers  of  David  have  their  end 

The  vernal  blossom  for  all  times.  In  blessings  such  as  God  will  send. 
Blessings  shall  hang  upon  his  name, 
All  tribes  his  blessedness  proclaim.  A.  I. 


Token — To  know. 


PERPETUITY  AND  IMMUTABILITY  OF  THE  MOSAIC  LAW. 

The  words  found  in  Exod.  xix:  9  place  us  in  immediate  connec- 
tion with  the  astounding  revelation  at  Sinai,  upon  which  the  festival 
of  Pentecost  is  based.      They  caU  back  our  minds  to  a  scene,  full 
of  majesty  and  awe,  over  which  more  than  three  thousand  years  have 
closed.     But  if  thrice  that  number  of  years  had  been  marked  by  the 
register  of  time,  this  scene  would  be  as  vivid  and  its  glory  as  bright; 
for  of  no  occui-rence  on  this  earth  has  Almighty  Providence  left  a 
stronger  and  more  enduring  remembrance.     The  words  cited  in  the 
above  Scripture  passage  invite  us  to  sui-\ey  the  lowest  of  a  range  of 
mountains,  at  the  base  of  which  a  whole  nation  of  more  than  two 
millions  of  souls  is  assembled.     Scarcely  seven  weeks  have  passed 
since  these  human  beings,  now  awaiting  the  declaration  of  God's 
holy  will,  were  claimed  and  held  as  the  property  of  a  vain  and  tyran- 
nical ruler,  and  were  treated  little  better  than  beasts  of  btu'den. 
They  wfere  enslaved  in  body  and  in  mind,  and  were  not  suffered  to 
think  or  to  act  but  according  to  the  desjDotic  will  of  their  hard- 
hearted ojDpressor.     Now,  if   we  may  measure  time  by  the  great 
events  which  it  brings  to  pass,  the  people  encamped  near  the  moun- 
tain have  lived  an  age.      They  have  seen  their  cruel  j)ersecutors 
ingulfed  in  the  waters,  the  grave  to  which  many  a  new-born  Jewish 
infant,  torn  from  its  mother's  fond  embrace,  had  been  consigned  by 
the  sanguinary  edicts  of  the  Pharaohs  ;  they  have  seen  their  freedom 
secured  on  a  firm  basis  at  a  time  when  the  danger  of  a  second  servi- 
tude was  imminent,  and  when  all  hope  appeared  to  be  cut  off;  the}^ 
have  seen  fresh  water  springs  gush  forth  from  the  flinty  rock  to  slake 
their  thirst ;  the^^  have  seen  food  rained  down  fi-om  heaven  day  by 
day  for  the  supply  of   themselves  and  their  families ;   they  have 
known  what  it  is  to  enjoy  true  Sabbath  rest ;  they  have  experienced 
the  beneficial  consequences  of  a  righteous  tribunal,  where  poor  and 
rich,  high  and  low,  are  patiently  heard  and  equitably  judged  ;  and 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  84y 

they  have  happily  learned  that  the  government  which  Moses  was 
charged  to  establish  lor  them  exists  for  the  good  and  happiness  of 
all,  and  not  for  the  private  ends  of  the  few.  In  fine,  freedom  and 
the  dawning  of  civilization  have  wrought  a  great  change  in  the  con- 
dition of  the  Israelites  within  the  lapse  of  a  few  weeks,  and  we  now 
behold  them  assembled  with  one  accord  to  take  counsel  of  their 
Almighty  Redeemer,  to  learn  from  Him  the  uses  to  which  they  are 
to  apply  theii"  newly  acquired  liberiy,  and  what  course  of  life  they 
are  to  pursue,  in  order  that  they  may  discharge  faithfully  their  office 
of  a  "  kingdom  of  priests,"  which  their  leader  has  just  informed 
them  they  are  to  become. 

The  verse  quoted  sets  forih  the  gracious  manner  in  which  the  Lord 
is  about  to  enlighten  the  minds  of  His  people,  to  fortify  their  hearts, 
and  to  confii-m  their  faith,  from  generation  to  generation,  in  the  doc- 
trines of  divine  truth  and  holiness.  "  I  will  appear  to  thee  (Moses) 
in  the  dense  cloud,  so  that  the  people  may  hear  when  I  speak  with  thee, 
and  so  that  they  may  believe  in  thee  and  in  thy  teachings  forever.'' 
The  Hebrews  are  enjoined  to  j^repare  themselves  for  this  awful  com- 
munion by  abstaining  fi'om  every  sensual  indulgence,  by  abstracting 
their  minds  from  all  earthly  thoughts,  and  by  reflecting  maturely  on 
the  mercy  and.  loving  kindness  which  the  Lord  has  shown  to  them, 
since  the  day  when  he  deputed  Moses  to  the  Egyptian  court  to  de- 
mand their  manumission.  At  the  end  of  three  days  devoted  to 
solemn  preparation,  the  promise  recorded  in  the  text  is  accomjjlished. 
The  thunder  rolls,  the  lightning  flashes,  the  earth  quakes,  and  the 
solemn  peal  of  the  Shophar  is  heard.  To  sj^eak  in  the  thrilling- 
words  of  the  Psalmist:  "The  immensity  of  space  is  illumined  by 
the  lightnings  of  God  ;  the  earth  looks  on  and  trembles.  The  moun- 
tains dissolve  like  wax  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  at  the  presence 
of  the  sovereign  of  all  the  earth  ;  and,  while  the  heavens  are  de- 
claring His  righteousness,  and  all  the  joeople  are  witnessing  His 
supernal  glory,"  the  voice  of  the  Almighty  is  heard  recalling  a  back- 
sliding world  sunk  in  superstition  and  sin,  and  pronouncing  before 
the  assembled  nation  of  witnesses  the  Decalogue,  the  ten  immortal 
principles  of  the  Mosaic  or  Jewish  code,  the  great  repository  of  duty 
to  God  and  man.  Such  were  the  manifestations  of  divine  power 
and  goodness,  and  such  were  the  means  employed  by  the  gracious 
Parent  of  mankind,  in  order  to  inspire  with  faith,  and  to  crown  with 
salvation,  the  future  generations  of  the  earth. 

The  chapter  from  which  the  text  is  drawn  does  not  simply  record 
the  important  fact  of  the  revelation  at  Sinai,  on  which  the  festival 
of  the  Feast  of  Weeks  is  grounded ;  but  it  at  the  same  time  informs 
us  in  the  most  precise  terms  why  that  revelation  was  delivered  in 
so  public  a  manner.  The  race  of  Abraham  having  been  redeemed 
from  bondage,  and  made  to  think  and  to  feel  like  men  formed  in  the 
divine  image,  were  now  to  commence  their  sacerdotal  office,  and  to 


350  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

bear  the  message  of  truth  and  light  and  salvation  everlasting  unto 
all  the  families  of  the  earth.  Now,  before  a  man  is  capable  of  per- 
suading others,  he  himself  must  believe  ;  before  he  can  be  earnest, 
he  must  be  sincere ;  before  he  can  be  qualified  to  teach,  he  must  learn 
and  clearly  understand.  Hence  it  was  of  the  first  -consequence  that 
the  faith  of  the  Israelites  in  the  articles  of  divine  revelation  should 
be  free  from  doubt,  and  from  all  possible  misconception,  and  that 
what  they  Avere  to  receive  as  principles  of  belief,  what  they  were  to 
do,  and  what  they  were  to  refrain  from  doing,  should  be  distinctly 
set  before  them,  and  with  a  clearness  that  Avould  be  demonstrable  to 
their  senses.  Equally  essential  was  it  that  they  should  be  impressed 
with  the  conviction  that  the  Sinaic  doctrines  were  fixed  and  stable, 
and  that  God's  word,  like  His  divine  nature,  was  in  the  strictest  sense 
unchangeable.  The  Israelites  were  to  be  tavight  that,  far  different 
from  the  enactments  of  fallible  mortals,  which  can  endure  for  a  given 
time  only,  and  must  then  give  place  to  the  ever-changing  cu'cum- 
stances  of  earthly  existence,  which  the  framers  of  those  enactments 
could  not  foresee  — the  laws  of  God  have  reference  to  all  times,  and 
anticipate  all  events  in  the  moral  universe ;  and  that  while  His  divine 
code  cannot  be  thwarted  in  its  operation  by  anything  that  is  actual 
or  possible.  He  compels  all  circumstances  and  events  to  bend  iu  sub- 
mission before  the  high  and  infallible  authority  of  His  mighty  word. 
These  two  imjDortant  features  in  Jewish  theology;  viz.:  the  public 
revelation  by  God  at  Sinai,  which  was  to  carry  conviction  to  the 
assembled  multitvide  of  Hebrews,  and  the  perpetuity  and  the  un- 
changeableness  of  this  dispensation,  are  fully  embodied  in  the  verse 
of  the  text,  which  may  be  paraphrased  thus  :  "I  will  appear  to  thee, 
Moses,  in  the  thick  cloud,  and  I  will  sjjeak  to  thee  in  the  audience  of 
the  congregated  mass  of  thy  people,  so  that  they  and  their  descend- 
ants may  believe  in  thee,  and  confide  in  thy  teachings  forever."  With 
this  clear  Scriptural  declaration  before  us,  we  cannot  be  said  to  be  true 
disciples  of  Moses  and  faithful  followers  of  our  ancestors  at  Sinai, 
unless  we  hold  firmly  and  inviolably  that  no  article  of  the  Sinaic 
covenant  can  ever  be  altered  or  superseded,  and  that  no  dogma 
which  is  not  there  set  forth  in  its  j)lain  and  obvious  sense  can  ever 
be  entitled  to  our  religious  belief.  When  the  JeAv  speaks  of  the 
divine  revelation,  he  of  course  understands  by  that  term  the  whole 
Mosaic  law,  as  I  now  shall  proceed  to  show. 

We  are  fully  warranted  to  conclude  from  the  Scripture  record  that 
the  Almighty  would  have  pronounced  every  precej)t  found  in  the 
Pentateuch  in  the  same  audible  manner  as  He  spoke  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, if  the  Israelites  had  been  enabled  to  support  His  awful 
presence.  But  when  the  people  fell  back  to  a  distance  and  implored 
of  Moses,  "  Oh,  speak  thou  with  us  and  we  will  attend,  but  let  not 
God  speak  with  us,  lest  we  die,  "  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  gi-ant  their 
request.     At  a  distance  of  forty  years  the  legislator  recalls  this  cir- 


FO]i  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  351 

cumstance  to  the  minds  of  his  hearers,  in  the  following  words,  "  Now 
the  Lord  heard  your  words  when  ye  spake  unto  me,  and  the  Lord 
said,  I  have  heard  the  words  of  this  people  which  they  spake  unto 
thee:  they  have  spoken  well."  Moses  accordingly  receives  all  future 
commandments  from  God,  and  communicates  them  to  the  people;  at 
the  same  time  impressing  upon  their  minds  that  all  these  laws  are 
based  on  the  articles  of  the  Decalogue  :  "  for  according  to  the  spirit 
of  these  words,  I  have  made  a  covenant  with  thee  and  with  Israel." 
We  have  therefore  Scriptural  authority  for  our  doctrine,  that  every 
ordinance  of  the  Pentateuch  is  inspired  of  God,  and  takes  its  origin 
in  one  of  the  principles  revealed  at  Sinai  ;  and  hence  the  passage  of 
our.  text,  "  They  shall  believe  in  thee  forever,"  applies  to  the  entire 
Mosaic  code.  From  what  has  been  advanced,  it  must  be  evident  to 
the  Jew  that  the  road  to  faith  and  duty  is  clear  before  him.  He  needs 
not  torture  his  mind  with  doubts,  whether  the  revelation  vouchsafed 
to  his  ancestors  at  Sinai  was  to  be  modified  after  the  breaking  up  of 
the  political  nationality  of  Israel,  or  whether  it  was  to  be  ecHpsed  by 
any  subsequent  dispensations.  The  words  of  our  text,  reproduced  in 
their  spirit  again  and  again  in  other  j^ai-ts  of  the  Scriptures,  are  ab- 
solute and  unconditional  ;  and  it  may  be  unhesitatingly  asserted, 
that  even  the  doctrine  that  God  is  one  and  indivisible  is  not  more 
Scripturally  proven,  than  is  the  Jewish  article  embodied  in  the 
poem  of  Jigdal,  "  that  God  will  never  alter  nor  change  the  Mosaic 
law  for  any  other."  The  inspired  Psalmist  assures  us  that  "  the  law 
of  the  Lord  is  perfect,"  and  every  man's  reason  will  tell  him  that  a 
code  which  the  voice  of  inspiration  pronounces  to  be  perfect,  cannot 
admit  of  an}'  change  or  modification,  without  its  being  impaired,  and 
further,  that  a  law  which  is  perfection  God  will  never  annul. 

Between  the  laws  which  God  has  enjoined,  and  those  which  mor- 
tal man  has  framed,  it  behooves  us  to  draw  a  broad  line  of  distinction. 
The  laws  of  man  can  have  but  a  limited  duration,  because  human 
affairs  are  subject  to  perpetual  fluctuations  and  changes.  A  mortal 
legislator  may  institute  laws  which  are  well  adapted  to  his  own 
time  ;  but  he  can  have  no  reasonable  confidence  that  they  will  be 
suited  to  the  altered  circumstances  in  which  mankind  may,  at  some 
subsequent  period,  be  placed.  The  law  of  God,  however,  is  not  to  be 
measured  by  this  varying  standard.  The  Omniscient  One  grasj)s  in 
His  intelligence  all  time,  the  future  as  weU  as  the  present,  and 
He  knows  what  will  he  as  certainly  as  He  knows  what  is  ;  and  as  it  is 
impossible  that  God  should  at  any  future  time  be  wiser  or  hoHer, 
more  benevolent  to  His  children,  or  more  desirous  to  promote  their 
happiness,  than  He  was  on  the  day  when  He  revealed  Himself  to  our 
fathers  at  Sinai,  so  it  is  impossible  that  He  should  ever  change  His 
perfect  law  for  any  other. 

Let  us  hold  firm  to  this  doctrine,  which  places  Judaism  upon  an 
immovable  rock — to  this  doctrine,  which  is  the  grand  theme  of  the 


352  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

holy  prophets  from  Moses  to  Malachi.  While  the  inspired  Isaiah 
reproves  his  brethren  for  giving  themselves  up  entirely  to  ceremonial 
observances,  and  for  neglecting  the  essentials  or  the  moral  duties  of 
Judaism,  he  emphatically  declares  that  God  demands  of  them  and  of 
aU  future  ages,  what  he  required  of  the  former  generations  of  Israel: 
"  I,  the  Lord,  the  first;  and  with  the  last  generations,  I  am  the 
same."  In  the  fuUness  of  his  inspiration,  the  same  prophet  predicts 
a  period  when  brute  force  shaU  be  extinct,  and  mind  shall  be  trium- 
j^hant  ;  when  weapons  of  strife  shall  be  converted  into  imj)lements 
of  husbandry  ;  when  creatures  in  whom  the  most  deeply-rooted  an- 
tipathies exist  shall  be  brought  into  concord  and  harmony,  and  when 
love  shall  be  the  one  governing  principle  of  the  universe.  To  approx- 
imate this  golden  period,  caUed  the  age  of  the  Messiah,  the  good  of 
aU  sects  and  creeds  are  constantly  laboring.  For  this  the  rich  man 
dispossesses  himself  of  a  portion  of  his  wealth ;  for  this  the  poor  man 
submits  to  privation  and  murmurs  not  ;  for  this  the  school-house 
and  the  pulpit  rear  their  heads.  Among  the  worthy  men  who  are 
exerting  themselves  to  this  important  end,  do  jon,  my  Jewish  breth- 
ren, be  ever  active  ;  and  remember  that  the  Prophet  Isaiah  not  only 
teaches  that  the  practice  of  the  pure  Mosaic  religion  is  calculated  to 
lead  man  to  the  highest  moral  perfection  ;  but  he  tells  that  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Messianic  age  shall  be  accomplished  in  the  spirit  and  in 
the  integrity  of  the  Sinaic  covenant.  When  the  Hebrews  shall  have 
worthily  discharged  their  office  as  a  "  kingdom  of  priests,"  when 
"  they  shall  have  fiUed  the  earth  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  as  the 
waters  cover  the  seas;"  "and  when  they  from  the  west  shall  revere  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  they  from  the  east  His  glory,  a  Redeemer 
shall  come  to  Zion."  But  according  to  the  prophet,  the  Goual 
spoken  of  is  not  to  set  aside  the  covenant  with  God  made  with 
the  Israelites  at  Sinai,  but  he  is  to  come  in  the  integrity  of  the 
Mosaic  law.  "  This  is  my  covenant  with  them,  saith  the  Lord ;  my 
spirit  which  is  upon  thee,  and  my  words  which  I  have  put  in  thy 
mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of 
thy  children,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  latest  posterity,  saith  the 
Lord,  from  this  time  forth  forever."  The  same  .Jewish  doctrine  of 
perpetuity  of  the  Mosaic  law  is  taught  by  Malachi,  when  he  places 
the  seal  on  prophecy,  in  these  memorable  words:  "  Kemember  the 
law  of  Moses,  my  servant,  which  I  commanded  him  in  Horeb  for  all 
Israel,  the  statutes  and  the  ordinances."  Having  now  endeavored  to 
impress  upon  you  the  two  important  articles  of  your  faith — the  pub- 
lic revelation  by  God  at  Sinai,  and  the  pei*petuity  and  the  iTUchange- 
ableness  of  this  dispensation,  let  me  remind  you  of  the  words  spoken 
by  your  fathers  at  the  Mount,  "  All  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  we 
will  perform."  Adopt  these  words  as  your  own,  and  continue  to 
teach,  not  by  your  precepts  only,  but  also  by  your  practice,  that  there 
is  One  God,  who  must  be  worshiped  in  spirit;  that  He  requires  of 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  353 

His  cliilclren  a  life  of  holiness  and  truth,  and  that  if  we  bring  Him 
not  this  inner  worship,  it  will  be  in  vain  for  us  to  approach  His  pres- 
ence, and  to  strive  to  secure  His  divine  favor  through  the  perform- 
ance of  external  rites,  howsoever  important  they  be.  Adopt  the 
words  of  your  fathers,  and  continue  to  teach,  "  C)  kingdom  of 
priests,"  that  charity  and  love  are  the  essentials  of  faith,  and  that 
these  virtues  must  be  exercised  toward  all  men  without  distinction. 
Continue  to  teach  that  Judaism  respects  the  religious  opinions  of 
others,  and  never  jDresumes  to  violate  the  sanctity  of  conscience  ;  and 
that  it  accords  salvation  thi^ough  the  mercy  and  the  lasting  kindness 
of  the  Universal  Father,  to  all  men,  of  every  religious  denomination, 
provided  their  lives  be  morally  good.  Continue  to  teach  that  Juda- 
ism breathes  love  to  all  men,  peace  to  all  men,  toleration  to  all  men, 
and  that  its  moral  character  is  well  poiirayed  in  the  sublime  ethi- 
cal precept,  which  was  born  of  the  Jew,  and  reared  by  the  Jew,  that 
it  might  become  the  common  property  of  future  generations :  "  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  In  your  capacity  as  "  a  kingdom 
of  priests,"  it  behooves  you  to  make  known  these  doctrines,  and  to 
give  them  vitality  by  the  uniform  practice  of  your  own  lives,  and 
you  have  the  assurance  of  your  heavenly  Father,  that  if  you  exert 
yourselves,  earnestly  and  sincerely,  to  this  end,  you  will  find  favor 
.  in  the  sight  of  God  and  of  man. 

This  holy  festival  commemorates  the  day  on  which  was  conferred 
upon  Israel,  to  the  latest  generation,  the  greatest  of  all  treasures; 
let  us  remember  the  day  and  duly  appreciate  the  gift;  let  us  respect 
our  faith,  and  the  respect  of  mankind  for  us  and  for  our  religion  will 
not  tarry  long  behind.  We  live  in  an  age,  God  be  thanked  and 
praised,  when  the  narrow  prejudices  and  the  sectarian  rancor  which 
were  once  so  universally"  directed  against  the  Jew  are  fast  disappear- 
ing, if  they  have  not  altogether  died  away,  and  are  giving  room  to 
the  feeling  of  natural  confidence  and  love,  strengthened  by  the 
sacred  ties  of  a  common  country  and  of  equal  citizenship.  Now,  to 
what  cause  are  we  to  ascribe  this  beneficial  change  ?  Are  ue  Hebrews 
of  the  present  day  less  Jews  than  our  fathers  were  in  the  middle 
centuries;  have  we  put  aside  our  distinctive  religious  character  ; 
have  we  abandoned  any  of  the  j^rinciples  of  our  hallowed  creed;  or 
have  we  compromised  our  consciences  in  any  way  to  win  the  popular 
favor?  No,  we  have  not  sacrificed,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  not  sa;>dng 
too  much  when  I  venture  to  assert  that,  as  a  body,  we  never  shall 
sacrifice,  at  the  shrine  of  power,  of  honors  or  of  immunities,  any  doc- 
trine of  the  sacred  covenant  which  the  Lord  made  with  our  fathers 
and  with  us.  _  With  all  due  allowance  for  the  humanizing  influence 
exerted  by  the  spread  of  education,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  great  change  which  has  come  over  men  with  regai'd  to  their  sen- 
timents toward  the  Jew^s.     I  cannot  but  think  that  the  cause  is  to 

PART  III.— 23. 


354  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

be  sought  for  in  this:  that  the  Jew  is  beginning  to  be  better  known, 
and  that  the  practices  of  his  faith  are  better  understood  than  they 
formerly  were.  In  bygone  ages  the  persecutions  to  which  the  sons 
of  Israel  were  exposed  obliged  them  to  live  in  retirement,  and  to 
perform  in  secrecy  their  worship;  this  secrecy  probably  gave  I'ise  to 
suspicion,  and  suspicion  to  gross  misrepresentations.  Hence  the 
Jews  were  accused  of  the  most  outrageous  and  revolting  practices, 
and  among  the  number,  that  of  shedding  human  blood  for  the  in- 
auguration of  the  Passover,  a  calumny  which,  not  many  years  ago, 
was  seriously  believed  by  a  great  number  of  simple-minded 
persons. 

But  these  things  are  jDassed  away.  We  have  outgrown  the  fear 
of  being  observed  from  without;  we  have  laid  aside  the  drapery  of 
mourning  and  despair  with  which  our  synagogues  were  hung  in 
the  iron  ages  of  persecution,  and  we  have  brought  ourselves  more 
prominently  before  the  public  gaze.  The  consequences  have  been, 
that  many  misconceptions  concerning  the  Jew  and  his  religion, 
which  took  their  rise  in  ignorance,  are  removed.  It  is  now  dis- 
covered that  we  may  be  sincere  and  zealous  Israehtes,  and  at  the 
same  time  loyal  subjects  and  patriotic  and  viseful  citizens;  and  that, 
while  we  are  peculiar  in  our  religious  belief  and  in  our  religious 
practices,  we  seek  no  ascendancy  for  our  creed,  nor  presume  to 
urge  it  on  the  consciences  of  others,  but  that  we  proclaim  and  prac- 
tice toleration  in  its  widest  sense.  If  these  principles,  which  are 
as  old  as  Judaism  itself,  may  not  have  been  made  manifest  by  oui' 
ancestors  for  many  centuries  after  the  fall  of  Jenisalem  and  the 
annihilation  of  our  political  nationality,  the  cause  must  be  sought 
in  the  galling  persecutions  to  which  the  Jew  was  subjected,  and 
which  denied  him  the  oiDiDOiiunity  of  being  heard  in  his  own 
defence  against  the  unfounded  in'ejudices  with  which  he  was 
assailed  from  every  quarter.  Yet,  in  the  midst  of  their  sufferings, 
the  Rabbis  never  failed  to  imjaress  their  disciples  with  the  pure 
Jewish  teaching,  "that  the  pious  of  all  sects  and  creeds  are  re- 
warded by  God  with  salvation  everlasting.''  But  it  well  behooves 
us,  who  live  in  happier  times,  to  give  evidence  of  our  faith  by  our 
teachings  and  by  our  conduct;  so  shall  we  call  down  upon  us  the 
benediction  of  Him  who  revealed  His  law  at  Sinai;  and  so  shall 
we,  by  moral  means,  conquer  for  ourselves  that  equal  position 
in  the  land  of  our  birth  to  which  we  boldly  assert  our  claims. 
The  time  is  rapidh'  drawing  near  when  these  claims  must  be 
acknowledged,  and  when  the  only  blot  on  the  code  of  our 
beloved  country,  as  far  as  religious  fi-eedom  is  concerned,  will  be 
obliterated. 

Let,  then,  our  watchword  be  "for  the  law  and  for  the  testimony"; 
let  our  earnestness  indicate  the  sincerity  of  our  religious  belief,  and 
let  our  conduct  toward  God  and  man  give  amjole  proof  that  we  are 


FOR. THE  USB  OF  ISRAELITES. 


355 


the  worthy  descendants  of  the  men  of  Sinai,  who   promised  "to 

perform  all  that  the  Almighty  had  commanded  them." 

Prof.  D.  W.  Mabks. 

Rev.  Prop.   D.  W.    Makks,  minister  of  the  West  London  Synagogue  of  British  Jews. 
Dean  and  Professor  of  Hebrew  at  University  College,  London. 


Sanguinaby— Cruel;  bloody. 

Sacerdotal— Priestly;  belonging  to  the 
priesthood. 

Antipathy— A  natural  contrariety  to  any- 
thing so  as  to  shun  it. 


Fallible — Liable  to  error. 
To    Approximate — To  approach;     to  draw 
near  to. 

Rancor— Inveterate  malignity. 
I     Immunity — Privilege;  exemption;    freedom. 


PAST,  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE. 


THE  PAST. 

"When  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem  !" 
.On  distant  shores,  in  happier  times, 
In  stei'ner  days  but  brighter  climes, 
The  Jew  upheld  with  steady  hand 
The  banner  of  his  Fatherland — 
The  throne  of  Judah's  princely  line — 
The  Temple  on  the  height  divine — 
The  present  home  where  wife  and  child 
Beneath  the  hallowed  roof-tree  smiled. 

Oh,   lovely  land !    blithe,    bright  and 

blest  ! 
Sweet   cedars    capped    by    mountains' 

crest — 
What    laughing    fields !    what    stately 

trees  ! 
What  fragrant  myrtles  kissed  the  breeze! 
The  purple  grape,  the  golden  grain, 
Decked  grassy  glade  and  pleasant  plain  ; 
The  wealthy  harvests  crowned  the  soil. 
The  towns  were  gay  with  sounds  of  toil; 
Rich-laden  ships  embraced  thy  coasts. 
Thy    glens    were  glad  with  glittering 

hosts. 
Oh,  great  in  peace  and  great  in  war  ! 
Thy  name,  thy  fame,  were  known  afar. 
Full  oft  the  fierce  invader's  stroke 
Shivered  before  our  "  hearts  of  oak  ! " 
Full  well  the  Greek  and  Roman  knew 
To  tremble  at  the  name  of  Jew. 

THE  PRESENT. 

"  We  hung  our  harps  on  the  willows." 
Where  are  thine  ancient  splendors  now? 
No  circlet  sits  on  Judah's  brow; 
No  Temple  rears  its  halls  of  state, 


No  high-born  elders  throng  the  gate; 
No  laughing  harvests  crown  the  fields, 
No  sparkling  wine  the  berry  yields, 
No  ruddy  anvils  gaily  ring, 
No  flower-wreathed   boys  nor  maidens 

sing, 
No  busy  cities  crowd  the  plain , 
No  buxom  herds  delight  the  swain, 
No  trade  ships  in  the  harbor  dance, 
No  foeman  fears  our  broken  lance. 
The  raven  flies  o'er  fields  unsown, 
To  brood  on  Judah's  shattered  throne  ! 
All,  all  is  lost !     Alas,  no  more 
The  sounds  of  life  bless  Israel's  shores; 
Our  harp  is  on  the  willow  hung,  M^B-r,^ 
All  voiceless,  tuneless  and  ungtrung'!' 

THE  FUTURE. 

"The  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  rise!" 
All  is  not  lost !     In  yonder  skies 
I  see  the  gleams  of  hope  arise. 
Star  of  the  East !  thy  glimmering  ray 
Is  brightening  "to  the  perfect  day.'' 
Again  shall  Judah's  flag  unfurled. 
Wave  forth  its  signals  to  the  world  ! 
Again  shall  cattle  crowd  the  plain — 
Her  fields  be  rich  with  golden  grain — 
Her  towns  with  busy  voices  ring, 
Her  swains  rejoice,  her  maidens  sing! 
See  in  yon  East,  the  glowing  gleam  ! 
Faith  'tis  not  false,  nor  hope  a  dream. 
Messiah  came  !  rejoice  our  eyes; 
And  lo  !  in  yonder  Eastern  skies 
The  "  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  rise," 
And  on  its  healing  pinions  bear 
Love,  Peace  and  Joy — for  all  the  world 
to  share.  Michael  Henry. 


Michael  Henry  was  a  native  of  England,  a  man  of  great  literary  attainments  and  for- 
merly editor  of  the  London  Jewish  Chronicle.  His  untiring  exertions  in  forwarding  the  cause 
of  education  and  every  interest  belonging  to  Judiasm,  and,  above  all,  his  kind  and  amiable 
disposition,  gained  him  a  large  circle  of  friends  among  all  classes  alike. 


356  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

AET  AMONG  THE  ANCIENT  HEBKEWS. 
I. 

TJndek  art,  in  au  eminent  sense,  is  generally  understood  the  mere 
representation  of  the  beaiitiful  in  its  various  divisions,  so  that 
many  activities  which  require  the  application  of  art,  and  even  indus- 
try, are  conventionally  thus  excluded  therefrom.  This  custom  of 
language  can  easily  he  adhered  to  in  confining  myself  for  the  present 
to  the  line  aiis  only;  bvit  it  cannot  be  expected  that  we  shall  tind,  in 
speaking  of  the  Hebrews,  the  same  accomplishment  in  art  as  we  meet 
with  among  the  Greeks  and  a  few  other  modern  nations.  This  art- 
culture  seems  to  be  only  possible  when  a  nation,  after  a  long  period 
of  intellectual  develoj^ment,  meets  subsequently  with  a  favorable 
epoch  for  fostering  art,  this  creative  impulse  having  no  outer  bar- 
rier to  contend  with. 

But,  for  the  most  pari,  the  Hebrews  lacked  those  pre-conditions  ; 
their  favorable  time  for  the  development  of  art  under  Solomon  and 
his  successors,  anticipated  by  many  years  their  intellectual  progress, 
and  as  soon  as  the  latter  had  become  matured,  we  know  that  art 
found  there  but  little  sunshine.  Besides,  the  fact  that  the  Hebrews 
spent  most  of  their  time  in  unfortunate  political  struggles,  and  that 
they  were  deiDending  entirely  on  agriculture,  was  naturally  another 
cause  which  checked  the  advancement  of  art.  They  were  aware,  too, 
of  their  chief  mission  in  fostering  and  advancing  the  religious  idea, 
which  partly  was  another  hindrance,  inasmuch  as  many  of  their  emi- 
nent men  were  thus  led  upon  other  paths.  And  although  by  the 
Greeks,  and  in  later  jDcriods  still  more  so  by  Christians,  great 
triumphs  in  art  were  achieved  in  the  service  of  religion,  among  the 
Hebrews  the  fact  that  images  lead  to  image-worship  prevented  the 
crdtivation  of  many  branches  of  art.  However,  they  found  some 
compensation  in  those  divisions  which  could  appear  in  the  service  of 
religion,  such  as  poetry,  music  and  architecture,  and  in  these  thej- 
have  indeed  j)roved  very  successful.  At  the  same  time  it  will  be 
necessary  to  remark  that,  from  Moses  until  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple  by  Titus,  a  j)eriod  of  almost  1,6UU  years,  only  two  authori- 
ties, the  Bible  and  Josephus,  can  be  resorted  to  ;  and,  although  these 
refer  largely  to  Temple  architecture,  and  the  poetry  which  the  Bible 
has  preseiwed  for  us,  they  are,  nevertheless,  in  regard  to  all  other 
branches  of  art,  silent,  and  thus  our  whole  knowledge  becomes  mere 
piecemeal-work  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  glean  from  the  xesources  at 
our  disjDosal.  But,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer,  now  and  then, 
to  those  i^eriods  during  which  these  particular  productions  of  art 
were  brought  to  light,  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  a  few  obsei*va.tions 
upon  the  alternate  coui'se  of  those  1,600  years.  Already  in  Egj^pt 
the  Hebrews  acquired  some  knowledge  of  art,  which  even  then 
flourished  in  that  country  to  high  perfection,  and  of  which,  after 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  357 

their  departure,  they  gave  sufficient  proofs  in  the  building  of  the 
Tabernacle.  But  the  forty  years  of  their  sojoiu-n  in  the  wilderness, 
as  well  as  almost  the  next  4U0  years  under  the  Judges,  were  so  un- 
suited  for  fostering  art,  that  even  the  skill  they  had  acquired  in 
Egypt  seems  to  have  been  forgotten.  In  the  following  period  under 
King  Saul,  it  was  in  no  wise  any  better;  but,  during  the  reign  of 
David,  a  more  favorable  time  appeared  for  poetry  and  the  science  of 
music,  which  progressed  under  Solomon,  who  attempted  and  prac- 
ticed many  other  branches  of  art  as  well.  The  next  390  years,  till 
the  last  two  tribes  were  led  into  captivity,  were  unfavorable  for  the 
cultivation  of  art  ;  but  as  a  monarchial  government  is  generally 
known  to  promote  art,  it  appears,  at  least,  that  the  Hebrews  during 
this  unfortunate  period  had  not  retrograded  in  their  acquirements. 
In  the  fifty-two  years  of  the  Babylonian  captivity  they  became 
acquainted  with  the  splendid  architecture  of  that  country,  and  its 
celebrated  industry  in  many  branches  of  art;  of  which,  however,  we 
find  no  traces  among  those  who,  under  Cyrus,  were  permitted  to 
retiirn  to  their  fatherland  ;  nor  can  we  find  any  among  the  exiles 
who  remained  in  Babylon,  with  whom,  perhaps,  these  impressions 
had  tloi'iven. 

Those  who  had  returned  to  Judea  remained  now  two  hundred 
years  under  the  government  of  Persia,  and  their  impoverished  state, 
as  well  as  the  almost  puritanic  nature  of  the  Persians,  may  account 
for  o^M'  meeting  but  seldom  any  traces  of  Jewish  art  during  that 
period.  Alexander  the  Great  followed,  and  then  the  Jews  w^ere 
one  hundred  and  sixty  years  under  the  Macedonic-Grecian  scepter, 
comj^rising  the  era  of  the  art-loving  Ptolemies,  and  afterward  of  the 
not  less  ingenious  Seleucidse,  who  resided  in  Antioch.  At  that 
time  it  appears  that,  in  spite  of  the  frivolous  Grecian  system,  the 
Jews  applied  themselves  again  to  the  cultivation  of  arts;  for  we  find 
both  in  Judea  and  Alexandria,  whither  hundreds  of  thousands  had 
flocked,  sufficient  proofs  of  their  industry.  A  reaction  now  took 
place,  owing  to  the  cruel  measures  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  who 
brought  about  the  glorious  contests  of  the  Maccabeans,  which 
wholly  put  a  stop  to  Grecian  life  and  manners.  After  a  laj^se  of 
one  hundred  and  twent}^  years,  the  rule  of  the  Maccabeans  declined, 
and,  by  way  of  craftiness,  blood,  and  the  courted  favors  of  the 
Romans,  Herod  came  to  the  throne.  Owing  to  his  fondness  for 
building,  he  erected  many  extraordinary  monuments  of  art.  But 
it  appears,  nevertheless,  that  art  among  the  Jews  did  not  receive 
any  fresh  impetus  during  his  reign,  partly  on  account  of  the 
excessive  cost  of  his  buildings,  which  turned  the  impoverished 
nation  against  such  fancies,  and  j^artly  owing  to  Judea  l^eing  de- 
clared soon  after  a  Roman  jorovince,  when  their  bloodthirsty  gov- 
ernors, greedy  for  money,  began  to  deprive  them  of  their  peace  of 
mind. 


358  •  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  KEAUER 

Hereupon  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  followed,  then  another 
violent  struggle  for  fifty  years,  and  the  history  of  ancient  Israel  is 
closed,  comprising  a  period  of  sixteen  hundred  years,  and  represent- 
ing the  field  upon  which  the  jDroductions  of  Jewish  art  must  be 
sought  for.  It  will  here  be  necessary  to  remark  that  art  stood  in 
great  estimation  among  the  Hebrews,  and  not  only  poetic  and 
musical  genius  was  of  high  repute,  but  also  other  works  of  art,  in 
gold  and  silver,  in  stone  and  wood,  in  brass  and  iron,  such  as  we 
meet  with  in  the  building  of  the  Tabernacle,  which  was  erected  by 
the  chief  surveyor,  Bezalel,  to  whom  a  divine  spirit  was  attributed, 
signifying,  according  to  Bible  interpretation,  the  highest  art  genius. 
It  must  be  acknowledged  that,  in  the  susceptibility  of  the  people 
for  impressions  of  ait,  and  their  high  appreciation  of  art-cvdtui'e, 
we  perceive  a  powerful  impulse  toward  its  practice;  and,  therefore, 
our  task  is  to  enumerate  the  various  branches  of  art  attempted  by 
the  Hebrews,  and  also  to  state  how  far  they  succeeded. 

I  shall  commence  with  architecture,  generally  divided  into  sacred 
and  worldly,  and  of  which  I  shall  choose  the  former  for  my  first 
subject.  Of  this  we  have  a  notable  instance  in  the  tabernacle  in  the 
wilderness,  which,  although  only  a  mere  movable  temple-tent,  cannot 
be  passed  over,  partly  on  account  of  its  architectural  form,  and  partly 
owing  to  its  fundamental  designs,  being  afterward  retained  by  all 
temples  in  Jerusalem.  A  sj^ace  thirty  ells  long,  ten  ells  broad,  and 
ten  high,  was  inclosed  on  three  sides  by  walls  of  strong  Acacian 
j)lanks,  joined  by  bolted  beams,  and  gilt  all  over;  each  plank  formed 
below  two  tenons  deposited  in  heavy  silver  supporters.  From 
above  the  space  received  four  covers  placed  one  upon  another,  and 
of  which  the  interior  one  consisted  of  a  valuable  carpet  interwoven 
with  cherubim,  while  the  second  was  made  of  fine  goat's  hair,  the 
third  of  morocco  leather,  and  the  u^jDj^ermost  was  from  the  skins  of 
"  Tachash " ;  of  this  place,  the  foremost  twenty  ells  were  appointed 
for  the  sanctuary,  and  ten  ells  of  the  posterior  for  the  Holy  of 
Holies.  A  curtain,  exactly  the  same  as  the  cherubim  tapestiy, 
separated  the  two;  while  a  similar  curtain,  but  without  interwoven 
chenibim,  formed  the  eastern  portion  facing  the  sanctuary.  In  the 
latter  stood  a  table  for  the  shew-bread,  a  small  altar  for  incense, 
both  covered  with  a  thin  plate  of  gold,  and  also  a  seven-branch 
lamp  of  massive  gold,  by  which  this  space  was  lit  up ;  while  the  Holy 
of  Holies  was  entirely  dark,  containing  only  the  Ark  of  the  Cove- 
nant and  the  tablets  of  the  Ten  Commandments.  Jn  front  of  the 
sanctuary  stood  the  sacrificial  altar,  a  wash-vessel  of  bronze,  which 
women  had  supplied  with  theii-  metallic  miiTors;  and  around  the 
whole  a  fore-court  Avas  formed,  having  a  sj^ace  of  one  hundred  ells 
in  length  and  fifty  eUs  in  width,  inclosed  by  sixty  pillars  at  five  ells 
distance  from  each  other,  and  between  which  a  Byssus  web  extended, 
except   that,  on   the    east  side,  the   middle  portion  ajjpointed  for 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  359 

entrance  contained  another  costly  broad  curtain.  It  will  also  be 
necessary  to  observe  that  the  Hebrew  ell  was  equal  to  about 
eighteen  inches  of  our  measure,  and  that  the  cherubim  on  the  ark, 
as  well  as  those  on  the  tapestries  of  the  sanctuary,  represented 
superterrestrial  guardians. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Tabernacle  was  a  simple,  yet  noble  structure, 
and  the  religious  imj^ression  which  the  appearance  of  a  house  of 
God  should  produce,  was  surely  not  lost  sight  of  in  this  instance. 
There  were  cei-tainly  no  Gothic  spires  projecting  into  the  sky;  but 
being  jDlaced  exactly  in  the  center  of  the  Israelitish  camp,  within  a 
beautiful  circular  fore-court  for  the  devotees,  a  magically  illumined 
place  for  the  higher  functions  of  the  priests,  and  behind  that  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  an  entire  dark  sanctuary,  the  jjlace  where  other 
religions  put  up  their  idols,  containing  merely  the  law  tablets  con- 
cealed by  cherub  wings,  the  whole  was  thus  well  calculated  to  awaken 
sublime  ideas  among  the  people. 


II. 

The  next  monument  of  Hebrew  art  was  Solomon's  Temple,  erected 
on  Mount  Moriah  at  Jerusalem.  The  surface  of  this  mountain  top 
being  insufficient  for  the  intended  building,  they  commenced  raising 
walls  of  square  stones  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  to  the  incredi- 
ble height  of  three  to  four  hundred  ells,  and  the  space  left  between 
these  walls  and  the  summit  was  filled  up  with  earth.  The  Temple- 
house,  also  of  'square  stones  from  eight  to  ten  ells  in  length,  was 
about  seventy  ells  long,  thirty  broad,  and  foi-ty  high;  but  behind,  a 
third  part  thereof,  it  was  ten  ells  lower,  containing  within  its  very 
thick  walls  only  the  sanctuary  of  colossal  dimensions,  and  immedi- 
ately behind  that  the  much  smaller  and  lower  Holy  of  Holies, 
similarly  situated  as  the  sanctuaries  of  the  Egyptian  temples,  which 
was  also  lower  than  the  remainder  of  the  building.  The  former 
was  forty  ells  long,  twenty  broad,  and  thirty  high,  while  the  latter 
was  twenty  ells  long,  broad  and  high.  The  roof  of  both  was  no 
doubt  flat,  and  the  one  over  the  sanctuary  was  furnished  with  balus- 
trades of  red  sandal  wood.  The  inner  walls  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
those  of  the  Holy  of  Holies,  were  adorned  with  a  covering  of  cedar 
boards,  carved  with  cherubim  palm  trees  and  flowers,  which  were 
gilt,  while  both  rooms  were  entirely  overlaid  with  gold,  even  the 
floors,  which  were  of  Cyprus  wood.  The  Holy  of  Holies  was  here 
also  quite  dark,  receiving,  besides  the  ancient  Ark  of  the  Covenant, 
with  its  two  cherubim,  two  more  cherubim  much  larger,  and  being 
on  the  east  side  separated  from  the  sanctuary  by  a  cedar  wall  only, 
having,  the  same  as  the  eastern  portal,  colossal  folding-doors  with 
similar  gilt  carvings;  but  the  sanctuary  had  again  the  small  altar 
and  the  table  (according  to  2  Chronicles,  ten  tables),  and,  instead  of 


360  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

one,  ten  seven-branch  lamps,  while  some  extra  light  was  obtained  by 
lattice-windows  placed  at  the  uj)per  2:)ai't  of  the  walls. 

Before  the  sanctuary  was  a  porch  (according  to  Chronicles)  one 
hundi'ed  and  twenty  ells  high,  in  which  two  high  hollow  pillars  of 
bronze  were  placed,  being  twelve  ells  in  circumference,  and  with 
very  ornate  capitals.  The  one  was  called  Jachin,  and  the  other 
Boas,  in  order  to  express,  probably,  that  no  earthly  piUar  could 
bring  finnness.  but  that  God  alone  is  able  to  make  firm  (Jachin); 
in  Him  there  is  strength  (Bo-as).  And  it  is  well  known  that  the 
first  views  of  Free  Masons  proceeded  in  reference  to  these  columns. 
While  thus  the  porch,  which  was  reached  by  steps,  was  facing  the 
building,  there  was  attached  to  the  other  three  sides  a  small  and 
much  lower  additional  building,  three  stories  high,  containing  rooms 
for  the  priests,  and  other  apartments  used  for  purposes  of  the  tem- 
ple. The  whole  was  surrounded  by  a  fore-court,  and  inclosed  by 
a  wall  built  of  square  stones,  with  cedar  paUisades  on  top,  and  the 
numerous  gates  therein  were  all  overbuilt  in  archlike  form.  Three 
sides  of  this  fore-court  were  not  of  any  wide  dimensions,  but  the 
east  side  was  the  more  spacious.  There  stood,  in  the  fii'st  place, 
the  offering- all  ar  of  bronze,  twenty  ells  long  and  broad,  and  ten 
ells  high,  with  steps  and  sidewalks,  which,  in  terrace-shape,  became 
gradually  narrower  on  the  top ;  besides,  there  were  ten  larger 
rinsing-vessels  and  so-called  molten  sea,  which,  like  the  former,  was 
a  valuable  piece  of  art  in  bronze  casting.  The  molten  sea  was  a 
vessel  filled  with  water,  five  ells  in  height,  and  ten  eljs  in  diameter, 
and  was  undoubtedly  used  for  the  priestly  ablutions,  the  same  being 
also  furnished  with  other  necessary  arrangements  j)ointing  to  a  simi- 
lar purpose. 

A  second  fore- court,  still  larger,  also  easterly  fi-om  the  first,  but 
lower  situated,  was  probably  added  by  some  of  Solomon's  succes- 
sors, who,  it  is  known,  made  various  alterations.  King  Achas 
ordered  afterward  a  fresh  altar,  according  to  the  model  of  one  he 
had  seen  at  Damascus,  which  he  considered  more  beautiful;  and 
thus  the  one  ah-eady  existing  had  to  be  somewhat  moved  aside. 
There  was  also  a  double  porch  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  Temple- 
mount,  formed  by  three  rows  of  pillars,  and  covered  with  a  wain- 
scoting of  cedar  boards,  which,  however,  is  attributed  to  Solomon. 
The  building  of  colonnades  apjDears  to  be  a  characteristic  of  Hebrew 
architectiu-e,  which,  on  account  of  the  hot  climate,  became  necessary 
in  order  to  secure  as  much  shade  as  j^ossible.  Those  who  have  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  that  Phoenicians,  to  a  great  extent,  took  part 
in  the  building  of  Solomon's  Temple,  I  have  to  oj)pose,  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  in  aU  respects  a  mere  execution  in  stone  of  the 
Tabernacle;  and  although  some  -parts  may  be  traced  to  a  Phoenician 
style,  it  is,  nevertheless,  substantiated  by  the  Bible  that  the  Phoe- 
nicians who  were   employed  were  merely  used  for  hewing  down  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  361 

trees  on  Mount  Lebanon,  as  well  as  the  cutting  of  the  square  stoues, 
together  with  some  assistance  they  gave  in  the  articles  made  of 
bronze  and  other  metals. 

AVe  are  without  any  record  as  regards  the  temples  erected  for 
the  worship  of  idols,  which  were  in  existence  during  the  demorali- 
zation in  Judea;  we  know,  however,  of  the  great  Baal  s  temple  which 
King  Ahab  had  built  in  Samaria,  that  it  was  vmdoubtedly  in  Phoe- 
nician style.  The  temple  which  Ezekiel  saw  in  a  vision,  and  of 
which  he  has  given  a  full  descrijation,  we  must  also  pass  over,  the 
same  having  never  been  executed,  although  the  sketch  shows  some 
value  in  reference  to  art.  Respecting  the  one  built  after  the 
Babylonian  captivity,  there  is  also  but  little  known,  except  what 
we  gather  fi-om  scattered  fragments.  We  are  informed  that  it  was 
in  all  respects  like  Solomon's  Temple,  but  in  splendor  much  infe- 
rior, and  in  extent  and  architectural  design  approaching  the  one 
erected  by  Herod,  of  which  we  j^ossess  a  minute  description.  This 
pomp-loving  king  undertook,  what  was  never  done  before,  to  i:»ull 
down  the  existing  Temple  and  to  erect  a  more  splendid  one  in  its 
stead,  without  venturing,  however,  to  deviate  from  the  fundamental 
l^rinciples  of  the  old  one.  The  edifice  was  apparently  distinguished 
by  its  ascending  distinctly  in  terrace-like  form  toward  the  chief 
sanctuary. 

This  Avill  become  more  clear  by  describing  at  first  the  exterior, 
which  consisted  this  time  of  a  wall  running  round  the  front  of  the 
mount,  being  five  hundi'ed  ells  long  on  eacli  of  the  four  sides,  and 
containing  five  gates,  of  which  remarkably  the  top  arch  of  the 
northern  one  could  already  plainly  be  seen.  In  the  interior  double 
porches  ran  the  whole  extent  of  the  two  thousand  ells  of  wall,  which 
were  thirty  ells  broad,  and  constructed  of  pillars  of  white  marble 
of  twenty-five  ells  in  height,  and  a  roof  made  of  cedar  wainscoting. 
On  the  south  side  there  was  even  a  triple  porch  still  more  beauti- 
ful, the  middle  being  higher  than  the  two  outside  ones,  and  the 
floor  being  entirely  overlaid  with  colored  stones.  A  few  steps  fur- 
ther toward  the  interior  there  was,  in  circular  form,  a  splendidly 
finished  railing  of  stone  about  twenty  ells  high,  being  the  limit  for 
heathens,  who  were  not  admitted  any  fui-ther.  In  the  inner  part 
of  this  railing  fourteen  steps  on  each  side  led  up  to  a  square  j)lain, 
which  steps,  like  all  the  rest,  were  laborious  to  mount,  reminding 
one  of  the  high  stairs  of  the  Pyramids.  Upon  this  square  plain, 
within  a  vacant  border  of  ten  ells  broad,  a  wall  forty  eUs  high  in- 
closed the  two  temple  courts.  This  contained  nine  large  portals, 
four  each  on  the  south  and  north  side,  and  one  easterly,  each  being 
fronted  by  stairs  for  ascending,  and  having  also  folding-doors 
studded  with  inlaid  gold  and  silver,  while  the  wings  of  the  eastern 
gate  were  of  Corinthian  bronze,  and  even  more  splendid  in  orna- 
mental design.      Each   portal  had  inside  a  much  wider  fore-hall, 


362  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

built  of  two  colossal  pillars,  upon  which  a  tower-like  superstructure 
rested. 

By  the  eastern  gate,  or  by  one  of  the  two  first  side- doors,  the 
fore-coui-t  of  the  women  was  reached,  having  that  name  on  account 
of  women  being  only  permitted  to  enter  as  far  as  this,  where  a  loft, 
a  gallery,  was  erected  for  them,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  ells 
long  and  broad,  which  space  was  rather  diminished  owing  to  the 
four  corners  containing  large  squares,  branched  off  by  lower  walls, 
and  that  right  and  left  a  beautiful  colonnade  proceeded  from  each 
of  the  gates.  On  the  west  side  of  this  fore-court  a  half-round  wind- 
ing staircase  of  fifteen  steps  led  up  to  a  gigantic  portal  forty  ells 
broad  and  fifty  ells  high,  by  which  access  was  gained  to  the  inner 
fore-court,  which  also  contained  to  the  right  and  left  of  its  seven 
gates  beautiful  colonnades.  The  first  eleven  ells  leading  into  this 
fore-coiu't  were  set  apart  for  the  laity,  being  separated  by  a  bar 
skillfully  cut  in  stone  of  only  one  ell  in  height,  behind  which  were 
three  steps  leading  upward  and  stretcliing  the  whole  width  of  the 
one  hundred  and  thii-ty-five  ells  of  the  fore-court,  on  which  the 
Levitical  singers  were  placed  over  one  another,  and  then  the  very 
extensive  fore-court  of  the  priests. 

Here  we  find  the  offering-altar,  thirty-two  ells  long  and  broad, 
and  ten  ells  high,  which  intermittingly  became  narrower  at  the  top, 
rising  in  an  obliqvie  form  on  the  south  side.  Then  westward  fi'om 
the  altar  followed  the  proper  sanctuary,  constructed  of  white  mar- 
ble blocks,  which  were  nearly  twenty-five  ells  long;  twelve  steps, 
intermittingly  arranged,  led  up  to  the  fore-haU.,  which  was  not  large, 
but  one  hundred  ells  broad  and  ninety  ells  high;  above  its  open 
portal,  of  seventy  ells  in  height,  the  gable  wall  showed  five  cornices 
over  one  another,  inlaid  with  gold,  and  getting  always  broader 
toward  the  toj^.  There  was  also  a  colossal  vine  in  this  hall,  to 
which  we  shall  have  to  refer  afterward.  Behind  the  latter  stood 
the  apparently  much  smaller  main  building,  containing  a  middle 
nave  thii-ty-two  ells  broad,  seventy-three  long  and  ninety-six  high. 
In  its  front  wall,  covered  entirely  with  gold,  we  find  again  a  splen- 
did curtain,  a  large  poi'tal  with  quadripartite  folding-doors,  and 
now  at  first  appeared  the  sanctuary,  twenty  ells  broad,  forty  ells 
long  and  sixty  high,  with  table,  lamp  and  altar;  and  merel}"  sepa- 
rated by  another  costly  cui-tain  fi*om  the  Holy  of  Holies,  only  half 
as  long,  but,  like  the  sanctuary,  sixty  ells  high,  and  entirely  empty, 
except  in  the  flooring;  a  raised  slab  only  three  fingers  broad  j)ointed 
out  the  place  where  once  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  stood.  Over 
both  these  were  some  other  rooms  constructed,  which  raised  the 
height  of  the  building  to  ninety-six  ells,  as  previously  stated;  the 
flat  roof  was  surrounded  by  a  railing,  the  points  of  which  were  gUt, 
serving  as  lightning  rods.  Except  the  foremost  side,  we  find  here 
again  that  this  high  middle  nave  had,  on  three  sides,  an  additional 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  363 

three-stoiT  building,  sixty  ells  in  height,  consisting  mostly  of  rooms 
for  the  priests,  as  well  as  for  other  temple  requisites.  Other  numer- 
ous buildings  for  similar  purj^oses  could  be  met  with  at  the  eastern 
part  of  the  priests'  court,  of  which  I  shall  only  mention  the  so-called 
lire-house,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  with  a  roof  in  the  shape  of 
a  dome;  also  a  large  basilica,  southwesterly  fi'om  the  altar,  where 
the  Sanhedrim  held  their  assemblies. 

There  were  also  other  structures  that  deserve  to  be  mentioned; 
the  works  for  supplying  the  Temple  with  water,  which  was  rather  a 
difficult  task,  on  account  of  its  being  situated  on  an  eminence.  The 
well  which  Solomon  found  jjroving  insufficient,  he  procured  for  the 
Temple  a  supply  of  water  by  constructing  a  wonderful  aqueduct, 
whereby  he  obtained  water  from  Etam,  a  small  place,  three  hours 
from  Jerusalem,  caiTying  it  through  pipes  by  Avay  of  Bethlehem,  and 
also  by  throwing  a  bridge  over  the  valley  of  Gichon,  and  tlience  to  the 
mount  of  the  Temple.  In  this  manner,  however,  the  water  reached 
the  mount  only  to  a  certain  height,  and  it  became  rather  troublesome 
to  raise  it  to  the  summit.  But  they  afterward  constructed  a  reser- 
voir under  the  Temple,  which  held  all  the  water  procured  from 
Etam,  and  was  then  by  wheel-work  lifted  to  the  top  of  the  mount. 
There  was  also  under  the  Temple  an  extensive  bath  for  the  priests, 
and  a  canal  to  carry  off  the  unclean  water  into  the  brook  of  Kidron. 

Another  branch  of  architecture  in  connection  with  the  Temple  was 
the  construction  of  bridges.  The  one  already  mentioned  over  the 
vaUey  of  Gichon  was  noted  for  its  arches,  while  another,  uniting 
Mount  Zion  and  Mount  Moriah,  was  also  a  beautiful  structure.  The 
bridge  which  Robinson  discovered,  and  which  led  from  the  Temple 
into  the  town,  cannot  exactly  be  traced  at  the  present  day.  There 
was  also  another  which  led  fi'om  the  Temple  moimt  over  the  valley 
and  brook  of  Kidron,  as  far  as  the  Mount  of  OHves,  which  was  a 
beautifully  constructed  viaduct  of  many  arches;  while  also  another  is 
spoken  of  which  led  from  the  Temple  into  the  wilderness. 

During  the  last  centuries  of  ancient  Judaism,  we  find  also  syna- 
gogues established  in  some  large  cities,  and  the  one  in  Alexandria 
is  worthy  of  notice,  the  same  being  a  basilica  of  extraordinary  di- 
mensions, surrounded  by  a  double  row  of  colonnades,  and  containing, 
among  others,  seventy  golden  seats  for  the  Sanhedrim.  The  one  in 
Tiberius  was  surrounded  by  a  double  row  of  colonnades,  while  one 
in  Antioch  is  said  to  have  surpassed  all  others.  But  we  lack  further 
records  of  these  antiquities,  and  my  observations  on  sacred  archi- 
tecture are  closed  for  the  present. 


ni. 

In  considering  the  art  accomplishments  of  the  Hebrews  in  regard 
to  worldly  architecture,  I  shall  have  to  omit  referring  to  its  use  in 
common  life,  inasmuch  as  all  private  dwellings  were  for  the  most 


364  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

part  ai-tless  and  insignificant  in  structure ;  while  public  edifices  for 
wordly  purposes  were  also  very  scarce,  owing  to  assemblies  being 
usually  held  in  open  places  at  the  city  gates,  or  in  the  fore-court  of 
the  Temple.  I  shall,  therefore,  only  mention  monuments,  which,  as 
ah'eady  stated,  on  account  of  religious  objections,  never  appeared  in 
the  form  of  statues  personifying  men.  Absalom  having  no  son  to 
propagate  his  name,  erectedforhimself  a  monument  near  Jerusalem, 
in  the  form  of  a  marble  pillar.  The  one  pointed  ovit  by  modern 
w^riters  is  of  late  origin,  wiiich  its  Ionic  order  of  architecture  suffi- 
ciently corroborates. 

In  later  times  a  monument  of  the  much-praised  Queen  Helena, 
consisting  of  three  small  pyramids,  and  also  one  of  King  Herod,  are 
spoken  of;  more  is  known  of  a  monument  erected  at  Modin  by  Simon 
Maccabee,  containing  the  mortal  remains  of  all  belonging  to  this 
heroic  family.     It  was  a  broad  pedestal,  upon  which  seven  small 
pyramids   stood,  being  surrounded  by  high  pillars  and  carved  in 
various  designs.     During  the  time  of  the  Greeks,  we  find  a  gymna- 
sium erected  by  the  Hellenistic  High-priest  Jasan,  and  afterward 
Herod  also  built  a  large  amphitheater  for  gymnastic  exercises.     In 
several  towns  large  water  basins  could  be  met  with,  having  steps  for 
descending  and  being  surrounded  by  a  wall.     King  Solomon  made 
use  of  one  for  watering  his  garden,  and  Hezekiah  also  had  a  similar 
one  combined  with  an  aqueduct  to  prevent  scarcity  of  water;  some  of 
these  served  for  baths,  and  one  was  even  considered  possessing  heal- 
ing properties,  being  surrounded  by  porches  and  named  Bethesda 
(place  of  mercy).     While  King  David  erected  a  palace  with  the 
assistance  of  Tyrian  w^orkman,  Solomon  constructecl  one  according 
to  his  own  ideas,  which  in  taste  and  splendor  could  vie  with  the 
Temple.     The  middle  space  containing  a  hall  one  hundred  ells  long, 
fifty  broad  and  thirty  high,  was  divided  lengthwise  by  four  rows  of 
cedar  piUars  and  covered  with  a  wainscoting  of  cedar  boards;  above 
this  hall  two  rows  of  chambers  were  situated,  each  row  containing 
fifteen,  one  after  another,  having  sideways  a  bow  windoAV  each,  and 
a  corresponding  arch  in  the  middle  wall,  besides  a  flat  roof  with  bal- 
ustrades of  sandal- wood.     In  front  was  a  spacious  court,  accessible 
by  a  portal  surrounded  with  pillars.     Behind  the  above-named  hall 
there  was  a  second  one,  appropriated  by  the  king  as  a  law  coiu't,  and 
containing  the  famous  lion-like  ornaments,  of  which  more  hereafter. 
To  the  right  and  left  of  this  middle  hall  other  magnificent  edifices 
were  situated,  one  being  occupied  by  King  Solomon  himself,  and 
another  was  set  aside  for  the  queen,  a  daughter  of  Pharaoh.  A  wall 
of  square  stones,  with  cedar  j)alisades  on  the  toj^,  inclosed  the  entire 
building.     This  palace  was  called  the  house   of  Lebanon's  forest, 
owing  to  its  large  hall  being  supported  by  cedars  imitating  a  cedar 
forest  in  architectural  style. 

Later  Ave  find  mentioned  several  palaces  of  the  kings  of  Judea  and 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  365 

Israel,  but  lack  further  information.  Likewise,  nothing  is  known  of 
the  pompous  buildings  of  Joiachim,  whose  extravagance  Jeremiah 
reproached.  We  also  know  but  little  of  the  tombs  of  the  ancient 
kings,  except  that  most  of  them  had  a  sepulcher  in  common,  of  beau- 
tiful construction.  The  statement  that  Hyrkanos,  the  Maccabee,  took 
3,000  talents  of  silver  from  the  tomb  of  David  cannot  be  credited, 
although  Herod,  with  similar  intention,  opened  it  again,  and  found 
therein  many  golden  and  valuable  trinkets;  but,  being  prevented  by 
the  advancing  tiames  to  j^enetrate  any  further  into  the  sepulcher,  he 
ordered,  in  expiation  of  his  act,  that  a  marble  monument  should  be 
erected  at  its  entrance.  There  is  yet  a  grotto  in  existence,  although 
not  identical  with  the  one  just  named,  which  is  called  "  the  sepul- 
chers  of  the  kings,"  containing  a  fore-court  and  seven  chambers,  and 
well  worthy  of  notice.  The  family  sepulchers  of  the  common  peo- 
ple were  rather  complicated,  plain  and  of  indifierent  style. 

After  the  exile  we  know  of  a  j^alace  belonging  to  the  Maccabean 
kings,  but  possess  no  further  information;  w4iile  the  buildings 
erected  by  llerod  are  described  in  all  theii"  detail.  His  residence, 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  town,  has  been  noted  by  Josephus  as  one 
surpassing  in  splendor  almost  all  others.  Amid  beautifully  laid  out 
grass  lawns,  rose  several  marble  buildings  of  different  designs, 
having  admirable  roofs  and  porches  of  variously  constructed  colon- 
nades, according  to  the  pecialiarity  of  the  building,  to  w^hich  groves 
of  trees  were  attached,  intersected  by  pleasant  walks  and  surrounded 
with  basins  serving  as  artificial  waterworks,  aU  made  of  bronze  cast- 
ings, and  having  tower-like  pigeon  houses  resting  upon  them.  The 
whole  was  inclosed  by  a  wall  thirty  ells  high,  with  tow^ers  on  the 
top,  placed  at  equal  distances  from  each  other.  Herod  also  erected 
many  buildings  for  military  purposes,  all  in  splendid  style,  and  de- 
lightful as  places  of  resort.  Eemarkable  was  the  wall  surrounding 
the  upper  part  of  the  town,  upon  which  he  placed  sixty  towers  at 
two  hundred  ells  distance  from  each  other,  three  of  which  were  of 
white  marble,  one  being  called  Hippicos,  twenty-five  ells  long  and 
broad,  and  eighty  high,  and  it  was  singular  that  the  lower  half  served 
as  a  resei*voir,  yet  carrying  two  stories  more  above  it;  the  second 
was  named  after  his  brother,  Pharsael,  being  forty  ells  long  and 
broad,  and  ninety  high,  surrounded  at  middle-height  by  a  beautiful 
porch  of  colonnades,  above  which  the  tower  continued  to  lessen, 
containing  splendid  dwellings  and  bath  houses,  and  being  in  con- 
struction similar  to  the  celebrated  beacon  in  Alexandria;  the  thii'd 
was  named  after  his  consort,  Mariamne,  being  fifty-five  ells  high,  but 
in  stn^icture  more  splendid  than  the  rest.  There  was  also  in  the 
upper  town  the  two  towers  Psephinos  and  Xystos,  the  former  seventy 
ells  high  and  of  octagonal  form,  and  the  latter  containing  a  large 
open  space  surrounded  by  arcades,  besides  fourteen  other  towers, 
constructed  upon  a  second  city  wall. 


366  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

In  Ascalon  Herod  built  a  beautiful  bath-liouse  with  colonnades, 
in  Ptolomea  a  gymnasium,  in  Jericho  a  castle,  and  in  a  southeasterly 
direction,  a  few  hours'  ride  fi-om  Jerusalem,  he  erected  on  an 
eminence  a  splendid  citadel  with  towers,  being  reached  from  the 
valley  below  by  two  hundred  marble  steps,  and  supplying  the  same 
with  water  by  means  of  an  aqueduct.  He  named  it  after  himself, 
Herodium,  in  meinor}^  of  a  victory  gained  by  him  on  that  spot. 
The  best  part  of  Samaria  he  also  embelHshed  with  many  public 
buildings,  establishing  a  beautiful  jiark,  and  being  ignominious 
enough  to  erect  therein  a  splendid  temple  for  Augustus,  besides  a 
second  one  of  white  marble  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Jordan.  A 
small  seaport  town,  Strotonstower,  he  entirely  rebuUt  in  lavish  style, 
and  in  honor  of  the  emperor  he  called  it  Csesarea.  Here  he  also 
built  a  harbor  by  sinking  into  the  sea,  which  is  here  twenty  fathoms 
deep,  large  square  stones,  fifty  feet  in  length.  The  pier  was  very 
broad,  and  upon  the  same  stood  several  high  towers,  while  the  en- 
trance to  the  harbor  was  on  the  north  side,  almost  in  the  form  of  a 
gateway,  accessible  by  a  tower  on  the  left,  and  two  still  higher 
monoliths,  connected  from  above  on  the  right.  The  border  of  the 
entire  landing  place  was  covered  in  by  arches,  behind  which  beauti- 
ful walks  were  laid  out,  amid  which,  on  a  hillock,  there  stood 
another  temple  for  the  emperor,  with  colossal  statues  of  himself 
and  the  Roma,  being  surrounded  by  a  large  semi-circle  of  houses, 
built  of  white  marble,  the  remaining  part  of  the  town  containing  a 
forum,  theater,  and  amphitheater.  Herod,  in  his  extravagance  for 
building,  causing  thus  the  disordered  state  of  his  nation,  received 
certainly  some  compensation  in  the  favorable  smiles  which  Augustus 
thought  proper  to  bestow  upon  him.  There  are  other  buildings 
ascribed  to  him,  almost  too  many  to  be  enumerated,  and  in  passing 
over  several  palaces  of  ancient  Jerusalem,  I  shall  only  furiher  men- 
tion here  that  the  new  town  was  also  surrounded  by  a  wall  contain- 
ing ninety  towers.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  delineate  the  over- 
powering aspect  which  Jerusalem  imparted  at  some  distance. 

The  fiat  roofs,  with  their  gilt  cross-bars,  generally  served  as 
lightning  conductors,  of  which  Arago,  the  learned  French  natiu-alist, 
gives  the  following  statement:  "The  Jewish  Temple  in  Jerusalem 
existed  nearly  one  thousand  years;  as  the  first  stood  nearly  four 
hundred  and  the  last  about  six  hundred  years.  By  its  site  this 
Temple  was  very  much  exposed  to  the  severe  thunder  storms, 
whereby  Palestine  is  so  often  visited.  Nevertheless  we  find  neither 
in  the  Bible  nor  in  Josephus,  that  this  building  was  ever  struck  by 
lightning.  The  reason  thereof  is  very  simjole,  for  the  wise  King 
Solomon  was  not  unacquainted  with  the  laws  of  nature,  and  had 
made  his  arrangement  purjDOsely,  so  that  the  Temple  was  provided 
with  a  lightning  conductor,  which  was  very  near  the  same  as  the  one 
invented  by  Franklin,  and  which  is  in  use  by  us  now.      The  roof  of 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  367 

the  Temple  was  covered  with  heavily  gilt  cedar  wood,  and  was  pro- 
vided from  end  to  end  with  long  steel  bars,  whereof  the  long  points 
Avere  also  gilt.  The  walls  were  heavily  gilt  outside,  and  finally  in 
the  court  of  the  Temjjle  cisterns  were  placed,  wherein  the  water 
from  the  roof  ran  through  metal  pipes."  We  find  here  so  many  con- 
ductors for  the  electricity  that  Lichtenberg  was  light  in  saying  that 
the  constructors  in  our  days  are  far  from  arranging  an  apparatus  so 
useful  for  its  purpose.  I  can  also  not  omit  here  some  art  accomplish- 
ments in  the  productions  of  landscaj^es,  for  which  we  also  possess 
Humboldt's  testimony,  who  remarks  that  nowhere  in  antiquity  can 
we  meet  with,  even  not  among  the  Greeks,  so  much  ingenuity  for 
natural  jiroductions  as  in  the  Bible.  The  garden  which  King  Solo- 
mon found  at  Jerusalem  was  noted  as  a  pleasure  garden,  containing 
trees  of  almost  every  description,  beautiful  shady  walks,  extensive 
lawns,  with  odoriferous  flowers  and  plants,  artificial  hills  with 
pleasant  summer  boAvers,  ponds,  canals,  bathing  places,  and  some- 
times even  mausoleums.  Some  were  extensive,  containing  also  pre- 
serves for  all  kinds  of  games,  and  these  were  called  in  later  times 
gardens  of  j)aradise.  Solomon  had  a  sirailiar  one  near  Etam,  and 
another  in  the  beautiful  district  of  Lebanon,  being  described  in  the 
Canticles  as  a  paradise  of  pomegranates,  and  of  all  other  excellent 
trees,  such  as  the  Cyprus  and  narcissus,  the  crocus  and  cinnamon, 
the  myrrh  and  aloes,  as  well  as  of  every  other  aromatic  plant. 

I  shall  now  have  to  break  off  this  subject  in  order  to  make  some 
further  statements  in  regard  to  the  insignificant  accomj)lishments  of 
the  Hebrews  in  plastic  and  imitative  arts,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
represent  that  after  all  poetry,  eloquence,  and  music  were  the  only 
branches  of  art  on  which  was  stamped  the  true  nature  of  ancient 
Israel.  Now  and  then,  indeed,  they  practiced  also  other  divisions  of 
art,  but  all  this  was  accomj)lished  only  in  an  imperfect  manner,  and 
even  their  celebrated  temple  buildings  were  but  feeble  expressions 
of  the  Jewish  mind.  At  the  outset  of  their  career,  it  has  been  stated 
by  Moses,  that  even  an  altar  of  earth  maj'  suffice;  a  fact  sealed  in 
the  consolation  that,  after  the  last  Temple  in  Jeruselam  was  laid  in 
ashes,  the  wrath  of  Grod  averted  from  wood  and  stone.  At  first  in 
lyric  poetry,  amid  the  melody  of  David,  Asaph,  and  others,  and  in 
the  spirited  orations  of  the  prophets,  did  the  Jewish  fundamental 
idea  obtain  the  most  perfect,  pure  and  sesthetic  expression. 


IV. 

Every  plastic  representation  of  gcds,  and  other  objects  of  adora- 
tion, Judaism  strictly  prohibited  ;  and,  owing  to  fear  lest  sculptures 
might  bring  about  idolatry,  this  prohibition  was  extended  to  the 
typifying  of  men.  Therefore,  only  a  narrow  compass  would  be  left 
for  Hebrew  plastic  art,  had  not  the  law  continually  been  trans- 
gressed; yet  it  clearly  proves  that  it  was  effective  enough  to  prevent 


368  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

in  the  Hebrews  all  typic  representation  fi'om  becoming  important. 
Works  of  scul]3ture  were  only  made  use  of  for  idols  in  idolatrous  times, 
and  must  have  been  of  rough  description,  inasmuch  as  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  cast  them  in  precious  metal,  or  to  carve  them  in  wood, 
and  then  cover  them  with  gold. 

In  art  productions  of  metals  the  Hebrews  accomplished  much. 
The  Ark  of  the  Covenant  contained  two  cherubims  of  gold,  which, 
with  elevated  wings,  overshaded  the  same,  and  inclined  toward  it 
with  inward  turned  faces;  their  head  and  arms  were  of  human 
shape,  but  the  form  of  the  rest  of  the  body  is  unknown.  These 
cherubim  must  have  been  of  extraordinarily  skillful  construction, 
for  they  were  not  cast,  but  rendered  prominent  by  being  elaborated 
from  the  very  lid  of  the  ark.  Of  the  same  kind  was  the  workman- 
ship of  the  seven-branch  gold  lamp,  each  branch  being  ornamented 
with  almond-like  cups,  knolls  and  blossoms.  We  also  know  that 
during  the  absence  of  Moses  a  golden  calf  was  fabricated,  as  well 
as  that  he  himself  made  a  brazen  serpent.  Whether  in  later  times 
Solomon  made  the  ten  golden  lam2:)s  of  the  front  part  of  the  sanctuary, 
according  to  this  skillful  Mosaic  design,  is  a  matter  of  uncertainty. 
But  the  two  cherubim  under  which  he  placed  the  ark,  each  being 
ten  ells  high,  and  each  wing  five  eUs  broad,  so  that  the  two  forms 
with  extended  wings  filled  up  the  entire  inner  width  of  the  Temple; 
these  cannot  have  been  a  valuable  production  of  art,  inasmuch  as 
they  were  merely  carved  fi'om  olive  wood  and  covered  with  gold. 

Solomon,  probably  not  exactly  satisfied  with  the  castings  of  his 
own  men,  called  one  from  Tyre  to  assist  in  those  works  of  metal  for 
the  Temple.  The  most  remarkable  were  the  two  piUars  before  the 
sanctuary,  with  capitals  of  lily-like  shape,  over  which  a  network 
extended,  and  each  being  hung  with  two  hundred  pomegranates, 
which  w^ere  in  the  form  of  pyramids;  then  the  ten  large  rinsing- 
vessels,  each  resting  upon  a  frame  furnished  with  wheels,  and  being 
each  surrounded  by  garlands  and  engraved  with  lions,  buUocks, 
cherubim  and  palms;  and  also  the  molten  sea.  These  bronze  cast- 
ings, although  executed  j)artly  by  a  Phcenician,  were  nevertheless 
conceptions  of  Hebrew  masters,  who  also  assisted  largely  in  the 
execution  thereof.  The  throne  of  Solomon  was  a  fine  specimen  of 
art.  Six  very  broad  steps  led  to  an  estrade,  which,  as  well  as  the 
steps,  was  covered  with  gold,  having  in  the  background  a  high- 
footed  chair  of  ivory,  furnished  with  elbow-supporters.  In  front 
was  a  footstool  attached,  and  on  each  side  stood  a  lion,  while  right 
and  left  of  each  step  a  lion  also  was  placed,  staring  into  the  face  of 
those  ascending,  and  all  being  compounded  of  gold  and  ivory. 
After  the  exile,  we  know  that  the  fi'ont  hall  of  the  Temple  contained 
a  colossal  golden  vine,  having  grapes,  according  to  Josephus,  of  the 
size  of  a  man,  and  which  became  gradually  almost  overloaded  by 
the  many  golden  leaves  berries  and  grapes  continually  hung  thereon 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  369 

by  way  of  contributions.  The  art  of  enpfraving  and  carving  was 
also  practiced  to  some  extent,  and  we  know  that,  ah-eady  in  the 
time  of  Moses,  the  precious  stones  in  the  breastjilate  of  the  high- 
priest  were  engraved  with  names,  which  proves  a  remarkable  skill,  on 
account  of  the  extreme  hardness  of  these  particular  stones.  The  inner 
part  of  the  sanctuary  and  the  folding  doors  Solomon  had  engraved  with 
orloquints,  cherubim,  palms  and  flowers,  and  also  the  brazen  rinsing- 
vessels  had  various  glyptic  ornaments.  According  to  Ezekiel,  the 
palaces  of  the  nobles  generally  contained  particular  rooms  set  aside 
for  works  of  sculpture.  Hyi'kauos  had  some  colossal  figures  of 
animals  engraved  upon  the  white  marble  of  his  castle  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan;  and  also  in  the  Herodian  Temple  the  ceiling  of  the 
sanctuary,  as  well  as  the  flooring,  were  engraved  with  beautiful  de- 
signs. 

Respecting  the  art  of  painting  among  the  ancient  Hebrews  ver}' 
little  is  known,  except  a  few  works  executed  in  red  ocher  upon  the 
walls  of  palaces,  especially  on  one  belonging  to  Joachim;  and  an- 
other, a  representation  of  Susa,  the  capital  of  Persia,  on  the  gable 
of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Temple.  Weaving  and  embroider}^ 
were  also  carried  on  to  some  extent,  being  already  known  in  the 
time  of  Moses.  One  of  the  curtains  in  the  Herodian  Temple  was  a 
representation  of  the  starry  firmament,  besides  others  containing 
cherubim,  lions  and  eagles,  all  of  which,  according  to  Josephus, 
were  executed  by  Jews;  one  being  retained  for  the  Temple  as  chief 
artist,  who,  at  one  time,  had  as  many  as  eighty-two  women  and  girls 
employed  in  this  kind  of  work.  The  representation  of  figures,  how- 
ever, became  almost  extinct  in  after  times;  for,  owing  to  the  rigor 
of  the  Sanhedrim,  even  the  emperor's  likeness  on  the  Roman  eagles 
was  prohibited  in  Jerusalem,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  various 
works  mentioned  afterward  cannot  have  been  executed  by  Jewish 
masters. 

The  result  of  this  review  clearly  shows  that  in  the  various  branches 
of  plastic  art  many  attempts  were  made,  which  partly  deserve 
acknowledgment;  although,  as  previously  stated,  owing  to  religious 
objections,  their  accompUshments  were  never  considerable.  The 
opinion  that  the  Hebrews,  like  all  Semitic  nations,  possessed  no  talent 
for  plastic  art,  is  a  common  opinion,  which  rests  upon  ignorance, 
both  of  the  religious  prohibition  in  the  matter  and  of  the  renowed 
plastic  accomplishments,  not  only  of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  bvit  also 
of  modern  Jews,  who  have  indeed  never  ceased  to  be  genuine  Sem- 
itic people.  A  similar  assertion,  that  the  Hebrews  lacked  objective- 
ness  and  artificial  aptitude  for  dramatic  productions,  has  no  better 
foundation.  For  even  if  it  be  admitted  that  with  them  objectiveness 
outweighed  the  lyric  element,  nevertheless  in  the  accomplishments 
ah-eady  enumerated,  as  well  as  later  in  their  well-meditated  plans 
and  perfected  forms  of  man}'  lyric  productions,  that  objectiveness 

PART  III.— 24. 


370  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

and  aptitude  which  first-rate  dramas  require  are  never  missing.. 
The  want  of  actors  among  the  Hebrews  is  to  be  accounted  for  from 
the  fact  that  owing  to  their  strict  morality,  it  would  have  been  con- 
sidered a  sin  to  bring  women  upon  the  stage,  while  their  natural 
good  taste  protected  them  from  having  recourse  to  the  insufferable 
Grecian  expedient,  to  have  men  acting  the  part,  of  women.  But  as 
the  Hebrews  had  no  dramas,  for  even  the  tragedies  of  Ezekiel  are 
something  quite  different,  it  is  clear  that  mimic  art  could  not  be- 
come developed  among  them.  We  find,  however,  that  some  care 
and  cidtivation  was  bestoAved  by  them  on  the  mimic  branch  of  danc- 
ing. This  was  their  favorite  pastime,  especially  on  festivals,  at  mar- 
riages and  in  the  time  of  vintage;  but  then  only  women  and  girls 
performed,  beating  a  smaU  hand-drum,  and  at  times  they  also  sung 
to  it.  With  music  and  dancing  the  victorious  army  was  welcomed 
on  its  return  home,  and  this  was  also  peculiar  with  the  EgyjDtians, 
Indians,  Greeks  and  Romans;  but  by  the  Hebrews  it  was  only  on 
religious  occasions  that  they  made  use  of  the  dance.  The  thanks- 
giving song  on  the  Red  Sea  was  chanted  by  women  in  turns;  they 
also  danced  around  the  golden  calf,  and  even  David  danced  before 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant.  This  custom  must  have  spread  more  than  we 
really  know,  inasmuch  as  the  same  Hebrew  word  chag  signifies  feast, 
as  well  as  dance ;  even  on  the  Day  of  Atonement,  the  most  sacred  in 
the  Jewish  religion,  the  giiis  dance  in  white  dresses  in  the  vineyard, 
which  dresses  were  all  lent  to  the  dancers,  in  order  not  to  put  to 
shame  those  who  could  not  procure  them.  We  also  know  of  the 
Therapeutics  in  Egypt,  a  kind  of  Jewish  monks  and  nuns,  that  they 
held,  from  time  to  time,  nightly  devotions,  when  they  also  danced 
and  chanted  h^-nins;  men  and  women  in  separate  rows,  one  opposite 
the  other. 

Still  more  significant  was  the  custom  made  use  of  in  the  women's 
fore-com't  of  the  Temple,  during  the  six  nights  of  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles,  when  men  of  almost  aU  classes,  even  the  most  vener- 
able, took  part  in  the  dance,  accompanied  by  flutes,  and  carrying 
torches  in  their  hands,  which  sometimes  were  thrown  upward  and 
caught  again,  while,  in  the  intervals,  the  Levites  chanted  psalms. 
That  these  peculiar  customs  reveal  a  religious  character  becomes 
evident  (Succa  53)  by  different  sayings  made  use  of  at  the  perform- 
ance. The  jiious  generally  chanted:  "Blessed  are  they  who  have 
not  sinned;  and  those  who  have,  may  He  j)ardon  them."  The  old 
people  sung:  "  Blessed  are  our  former  youthful  days,  that  these  do 
not  shame  us  when  we  now  are  growing  old."  Those  who  could 
not  conscientiously  sing  with  the  latter,  usually  chanted,  "  Blessed 
our  age,  .which  now  atones  for  our  youthful  days." 


V. 

We  have  no  positive  knowledge  of  the  extent  to  which  the  art  of 
music  was  cultivated  among  the  ancient  Hebrews,  since  the  most 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  371 

musical  expressions  in  Scripture  are  very  obscure,  and  compositions 
of  those  (lays  had  not  been  preserved.  The  so-called  accents  of  the 
Bible  form  certainly  notes — musical  figures,  as  it  were — but  they 
are  of  modern  origin,  and  not  exactly  adapted  for  singing,  but 
merely  for  recitative  discourse  in  synagogue  and  school.  How^ever, 
some  knowledge  of  music  the  Hebrews  must  have  early  acquired 
from  the  conduct  of  Moses  and  Miriam  on  the  shores  of  the  Red 
Sea.  In  later  times  the  victorious  Saul  was  met  by  women  singing 
and  playing  on  musical  instruments.  The  strains  of  the  harp  under 
the  skillful  fingers  of  a  shepherd  lad  soothed  Saul's  melancholy,  and 
David's  harp,  defective  though  it  may  have  been  in  many  respects, 
sufficed  to  sound  all  the  varied  aspii-ations  and  struggles,  the  despair 
and  suffering  of  humanity  when  David  composed  his  sublime  Psahns. 

The  most  jDerfect  form  of  music  attained  was  that  in  vogue  in  the 
Temple,  for  while,  since  Moses,  the  sacrificial  service  was  accompanied 
by  silver  trumpets  only,  it  became  more  comprehensive  during  the 
time  of  David,  and,  after  the  erection  of  Solomon's  Temple,  the  ser- 
vice was  conducted  with  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  which  grad- 
ually improved.  The  instruments  of  the  Hebrews  were  of  three 
kinds— strike  instruments,  wind  instruments  and  string  instruments. 
According  as  occasion  required,  these  instruments  were  made  use  of 
at  all  religious  ceremonies,  on  festivals,  coronations,  victories, 
weddings,  at  harvest  time,  and  later  even  at  funerals. 

The  school  of  the  prophets  embraced  singing  as  well  as  the  ac- 
quirements of  the  tambourine,  flute,  psaltery  and  harp,  and  we  find 
it  repeatedly  stated  that  the  prophetic  disciples  marched  through 
the  streets  with  music  and  song.  The  instruments  of  the  poets  who 
composed  the  Psalms  were  the  harp  and  psaltery  ;  and  it  was 
pecTiiiar  with  David  to  compose  some  of  his  psalms  before  the  break 
of  day,  exclaiming  therein  :  *'  Rise  psaltery  and  hai-j) !  I  will 
awaken  Aurora !"  and  probably  this  gave  rise  to  the  well-known 
assertion  that  over  his  couch  an  ^Eolian  harp  hung,  by  which  he 
himself  was  awakened.  At  morning  and  vesper  prayers  the  psalms 
were  chanted  by  at  least  twelve  Levites,  of  whom  nine  played  the 
harp,  two  the  psaltery,  and  one  the  cymbal,  but  on  Sabbath  and 
festivals,  and  other  solemn  occasions,their  number  was  extraordinarily 
large,  and,  as  already  stated,  their  standing  place  was  a  staircase  of 
three  steps,  stretching  the  whole  135  ells,  the  width  of  the  fore- 
court of  the  Temple,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  instruments 
were  proportionate  in  size  with  the  trumpets  of  the  priests,  of  which 
at  one  time  as  many  as  120  warbled  forth  their  deafening  sounds. 

The  musicians,  who  had  the  privilege  of  being  employed  for  the 
service  of  the  Temple,  amounted  once  (according  to  Chronicles)  to 
4,000,  and  it  is  certain  that  this  large  number  must  have  jwoduced, 
now  and  then,  composers  of  first-rate  talent,  especially  as  this  was 
their   only  vocation.     Boys  were   trained   to  the  service,  and   the 


372  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

technical  expertness,  as  Avell  as  the  precision  of  execution,  must 
have  become  heightened  and  improved  to  a  great  extent.  Altogether, 
if  we  reflect  tipon  the  varied  spirit  exhibited  in  the  jDsalms — here 
child-like  confidence,  there  complaint,  which  at  times  drooj)s  almost 
into  whimpering,  and  then  again  rises  into  fresh  confidence;  in  one 
place  calm  instruction,  in  another  the  profane  discourse  of  scoffers,  is 
introduced;  now  dejection  or  anger,  then  again,  a  victory  or  any 
other  deliverance  is  celebrated;  rejoicings,  gratitudes,  songs  of  praise 
in  all  gradations,  sometimes  in  separate  psalms,  and  sometimes  in 
wondi'ous  swift  transitions  in  one  and  the  same  psalm;  if  we  consider 
all  this,  how  could  this  ebb  and  flood  have  received  musical  ac- 
companiment, without  the  latter  possessing  proper  harmony  ?  The 
practical  master-spirit  shown  in  the  Psalms  warrants  the  inference 
of  an  equal  musical  talent.  One  thing,  however,  appears  to  be 
probable  in  regard  to  Hebrew  music,  that,  where  no  complete  in- 
strumentalization  existed,  that  it  must  have  been  tremulous,  too  soft, 
and  of  a  melancholy  cast. 

In  discussing  poesy  and  proj)hetical  oratory,  in  which  the  highest 
development  of  Hebrew  art  was  achieved,  it  Avill  scarcely  be  possible 
to  suggest  the  fullness  of  the  beautiful  which  meets  us  here,  much 
less  to  delineate  it.  The  Bible  is  acknowledged  to  be  not  only  the 
holiest  of  all  books,  but  also  to  include  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
literatures;  the  most  eminent  of  poets  have  not  disdained  to  j)luck 
from  it  the  choicest  flowers.  One  of  the  oldest  and  a  well  fostered 
branch  of  poesy  was  the  almost  epic  use  of  the  ancient  history  of  the 
people,  and  which  we  also  meet  with  in  the  book  of  Judges,  as  well 
as  in  David's  youthful  career,  besides  in  the  sayings  of  the  prophet 
Elijah,  and  even  later  in  the  books  of  Esther  and  Daniel.  In 
the  episode  from  Balaam  we  find  epic  prose  and  lyric  intermingled 
and  cleverly  represented,  while  the  narrative  of  the  gleaner  Ruth, 
the  ancestress  of  David,  approaches  the  idyl.  Of  this  Goethe  has 
declared  that  it  is  the  most  charming  of  epic  idyls  which  has  ever 
existed. 

Another  form  of  poetry  was  the  mythic,  in  which  the  first  book  of 
Moses  is  very  rich,  comprising  the  history  of  creation,  Paradise,  the 
creation  of  woman,  the  seduction  of  the  serjDent,  together  with  the 
loss  of  Paradise,  Cain's  fratricide,  and  perhaps  the  deluge,  and  the 
rainbow  as  a  token  of  peace.  More  recent  m3i;hic  forms  are  the 
visions  of  Elijah  and  Nebuchadnezzar's  dream,  all  of  which  costly 
pearls,  if  structures  of  poetry,  are  not  to  be  taken  literally.  As  a 
special  branch  appears  the  poetical  description  of  superterrestrial 
beings  and  occurences,  such  as  that  of  the  throne  of  God,  depicted 
by  Isaiah  simply  and  sublimely;  by  Ezekiel,  in  wondrous  alternation 
of  fantasy  and  pensive  symbols;  or  of  the  heavenly  assemblies  in  the 
first  book  of  Kings  (chaj).  xxii.),  and  the  beautiful  introduction  to  the 
T^ook  of  Job;  or  the  personification  of  celestial  wisdom,  as  in  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  373 

Proverbs  of  Solomon  and  Sirach;  besides  the  visions  of  Zacbariah 
and  Daniel.  In  later  times  they  enlarged  upon  the  mythic  form  for 
the  use  of  legends,  and  also  for  more  detailed  narratives  of  a 
religious  and  moral  tendency,  such  as  the  writings  of  Jonah,  Tobiah, 
Judith  and  Susannah  reveal,  which,  however,  are  of  less  significance. 

Similar  to  the  mythic  form,  although  of  peculiar  character,  were 
the  parables,  such  as  those  of  the  vineyard  (Isaiah  v.),  inEzekiel,  the 
exposed  child,  the  eagle  which  came  to  Lebanon,  the  lioness,  the 
two  female  paramours,  the  hippopotamus,  the  cedar  and  several 
others;  also  in  Amos,  such  as  the  locusts,  the  plummet,  the  casket  of 
figs,  all  beautiful,  and  still  more  comprehensive  on  account  of  the 
prophets  generally  accompanying  the  application  of  the  parable  by  a 
spirited  oration.  These  parables  never  ceased  in  later  times,  of 
which  we  possess  ample  proof  in  ancient  Hebrew  writings,  and  even 
in  the  New  Testament, while  the  Midrashim  are  an  inexhaustible  mine 
in  themselves.  In  fables,  unfortunately,  not  more  than  one  has  been 
preserved  for  us;  I  mean  that  interesting  fable  of  the  trees  (Judges 
ix.),>diich  seek  for  a  king ;  nevertheless,  even  to  this  division  of  art 
much  attention  must  have  been  paid,  inasmuch  as  the  Oriental  mind 
inclines  to  the  jDractice. 

All  the  divisions  of  poetry  hitherto  quoted  were  in  prosaic  style, 
while  those  I  have  yet  to  refer  to  were  in  more  measured  form.  The 
old  Hebrew  verse  knows  of  no  counting  of  syllables,  also  of  no  long 
and  short  measure,  whereby  it  certainly  loses  in  external  beauty, 
and  yet  gains  therewith  many  advantages.  It  is  not  limited  in  re- 
gard to  the  choice  and  position  of  the  words;  and  thus  for  each 
thought  the  most  striking  expressions  can  be  chosen,  as  well  as  every 
word  can  be  assigned  to  the  most  suitable  place.  The  Psalms,  the 
Proverbs  of  Solomon,  of  Sirach,  and  many  others,  are  incomparable 
in  this  division  of  i^oetry ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  anything  in 
poetry  has  ever  surjjassed  the  beautiful  contents  and  form  of  the 
93d,  104th  and  107th  Psalms.  1  must  also  not  forget  to  mention  the 
best  finished  of  Hebrew  didactic  poems,  which  is  the  half  dramatic 
book  of  Job,  of  which  Bauer  asserts  that  it  is  quite  as  significant  as 
Dante's  divine  comedy. 


VI. 

In  lyric  productions,  the  old  Hebrew  literature  is  very  full,  which 
postulates  the  possession  of  well-matured  perceptive  and  contem- 
plative powers,  sometimes  only  momentarily  inspu'ed,  but  often  con- 
veyed with  all  the  rich  fantasy,  heartfelt  feelings  and  liveliness  of 
thought  which  is  the  peculiar  heritage  of  the  Oriental  mind.  But 
this  inner  fluctuation  among  the  ancient  Hebrews  was  instigated 
by  religious  views,  nay,  even  penetrated  and  directed  by  them. 
The  Psalms  are  transcendent  examples  of  this  feature,  but  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  psalms  alone  do  not  possess  it;  we  see  lyric  strains 


374  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

in  the  words  of  the  mother  of  Samuel,  in  Isaiah,  Hezekiah  and 
Habbakuk.  Others  have  the  form  of  the  psalms  without  the  sub- 
ject-matter; for  instance,  the  blessing  of  the  dying  Jacob,  Miriam's 
song  of  triumph,  the  prophecies  of  Balaam,  Moses'  farewell  song 
and  last  words,  Deborah's  poem  of  victory,  David's  lament  over 
Saul  and  Jonathan;  all  of  which  would  be  more  costly  pearls  were 
their  expression  fuller  and  more  adequate.  Beautiful,  also,  though 
perhaps  too  leng-thy,  are  Jeremiah's  lamentations.  Of  what  form 
partook  the  one  thousand  and  five  songs  (1  Kings  v:  12)  which  it 
is  said  Solomon  composed,  one  cannot  say,  for  they  have  not  come 
down  to  us.  Likewise  we  possess  no  further  information  concern- 
ing the  two  books  containing  songs,  called  the  '*  Books  of  the  Wars 
of  God,"  and  the  "  Book  of  the  RighteoiTs"  (4  Mos.  xxi:  14;  Jos.  x: 
13;  2  Sam.  i:  18).  Of  poetry  of  a  cheerful  character  there  was  no 
lack,  as  weU  as  of  songs  of  love,  which  Ezekiel  refers  to  (xxxiii:  32); 
and  what  is  known  as  the  Forty-fifth  Psalm  is  rather  an  epithala- 
mium  in  honor  of  the  Bible.  Herder  calls  the  Canticles  the  most 
excellent  of  all  erotic  poems  in  all  literatures. 

As  examples  of  oratory,  we  find  in  the  Bible  excellent  speeches 
of  Moses,  Joshua  and  Samuel,  as  well  as  the  address-like  prayer  of 
Solomon  at  the  dedication  of  the  Temple,  which  has  served  for 
centuries  as  a  model  whenever  synagogues  or  chvxrches  were  conse- 
crated. But  oratory  reached  its  highest  phase  in  the  prophetic 
times  of  the  kings.  For  the  most  part,  their  orations  were  deliv- 
ered to  the  people,  whose  errors  they  upbraided,  announcing  to 
them  the  evil  consequences  thereof,  or  comforting  them  in  times 
of  need,  and  holding  out  a  brighter  future  to  those  who  repent. 
Their  effusions  of  wrath  against  the  luxviry  and  violence  of  the 
great,  as  well  as  against  the  partiality  and  corruption  of  the  priests, 
together  with  their  strictures  on  the  venality  of  judges,  were  some- 
times  addressed  to  these  in  person,  or  they  were  generally  referred 
to  in  their  orations  to  the  peoj^le.  Often  they  penetrated  even  the 
palaces  of  kings,  or  appeared  before  them  wherever  they  could  meet 
them,  and  then  reproached  them  for  their  cruelty,  injustice,  de- 
bauchery and  desertion  from  God,  or  for  whatever  they  may  had 
to  censure  them;  and  all  this  they  did  with  a  candor  which  never 
shrunk  from  any  danger;  and  after  every  persecution  they  suffered, 
their  voice  became  even  louder  in  uttering  their  condemnations.  A 
fi-ank  religiousness,  entirely  free  fi'om  hypocrisy,  an  absolute  con- 
fidence in  God,  a  morality  perfect  and  pure,  an  unshaken  conviction 
of  the  ruling  moral  system  of  the  world,  and  the  future  victory  of 
all  the  good  in  mankind,  without,  however,  losing  sight  of  the  fact 
that  the  chief  mission  of  the  "first-born  son  "consists  in  treating 
as  younger  brethren  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Such  are  the 
sounds  which  reach  us  fi-om  all  orations  of  the  prophets,  and  with 
such  inspiration  do  they  ring,  that  it  is  no  wonder  if  the  reader. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  375 

overcome  by  their  grandeur  and  beauty,  fails  to  value  their  worth 
as  art  productions. 

The  speeches  were  seldom  in  prose,  but  had  generally  a  poetical 
parallelism,  sometimes  also  a  strophic-like  plan,  and  even  lyric  parts 
are  often  detected.  The  expression  is  then  always  carefully  chosen 
and  penetrating,  and  also  occasionally  sprinkled  with  antithesis  and 
sarcasm.  The  rejn-esentation  is  uncommonly  vivid,  and  the  orator's 
own  feeling  bursts  through  every  artificial  link ;  now  in  a  concentrated 
call  of  grief,  and  then,  again,  like  a  stream  breaking  through  its  em- 
bankments. The  delineations  are  sti'ictly  Oriental  finery,  and,  where 
perceptions  are  to  be  represented,  it  is  done  with  such  natiu'al 
truth  as  if  the  curtain  were  drawn  from  soul  and  heart.  No  forbear- 
ance is  shown,  but  baseness  is  unmasked.  The  language  begins  to 
rise,  after  a  few  verses,  echoing  like  distant  thunder;  metaphor 
follows  metaphor,  striking  like  flashes  of  lightning;  and  the  casti- 
gation  which  every  sin  deserves  is  painted  in  such  vivid  colors  as 
to  almost  lead  one  to  believe  that  he  was  witnessing  the  tortures 
of  the  day  of  judgment.  But  this  severity  is  not  innate  in  the 
prophet's  nature,  for  often,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  cutting  or  most 
terrible  of  words,  lively  sympathy  overpowers  him,  and  but  seldom 
does  an  admonition  end  without  representing  that  the  announced 
misery  is  but  an  exjjiation,  after  which  purer  and  happier  times 
will  follow. 

In  the  prophetic  orations,  we  note  striking  changes  of  thought. 
In  the  first  place,  we  meet  with  visions  of  supernatural  occurrences, 
like  those  already  mentioned  by  Isaiah,  Ezekiel  and  Zachariah;  and 
then  the  destruction  of  a  universe  is  delineated,  or  the  subteiTanean 
world  is  uncovered,  and  the  shadows  begin  to  sj)eak,  or  we  behold 
the  blazing  of  hell  and  the  tyrants  of  the  eai-th  swallowed  up  in  the 
flames  thereof.  Here,  again,  inimical  kings,  in  their  full  splendor 
and  insolence,  are  introduced;  how  they  practice,  in  times  of  peace, 
every  abomination;  or,  in  a  hostile  manner,  advance  against  the 
heights  of  Judea;  and  then  their  end  "terminates  badly.  "  Again  we 
find  delineated  the  pomp  and  luxury  of  Nineveh,  of  Babylon,  or  the 
ancient  Tyre,  as  the  queen  of  the  sea,  and  a  picture  of  the  world- 
wide traffic  is  placed  before  us;  or  the  vanity  and  the  cliildlike  wor- 
ship of  idols  is  scourged  with  exquisite  satire ;  or  events  in  nature 
are  pictured,  svich  as  earthquakes,  pestilence  and  a  plague  of 
locusts. 

A  second  change  was  brought  in  by  the  individual  form  of  the 
prophet's  speech.  The  style  of  Isaiah  is  thoroughly  grand,  noble, 
vigorous,  and  always  at  the  crest  of  the  produced  idea.  Jeremiah 
is  sometimes  gloomy,  and  sometimes  also  bright,  but  good-natured 
amiable  and  perhaps  the  most  passionate  and  irritable  of  all  proj^h- 
•ets.  Ezekiel  is  less  classical  in  his  language,  but  original;  in  words 
and  representations,  gigantic ;  and,  owing  to  his  exiled  position,  his 


376 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


writings  sliow  an  Assyrian  coloring.  Hosea  is  ingenious  and  full 
of  bold  leaps  in  all  his  ideas,  which  are  of  epigrammatical  brevity. 
Joel's  language  is  flourishing,  beautifvd  and  rich  in  style.  Amos  is 
entirely  classical,  although  he  was  only  a  herdsman.  So  every  one 
of  the  rest  had  his  individual  aim  of  thought,  his  special  diction 
and  elegance. 

In  conclusion,  I  shall  only  just  refer  to  the  Ptolemies,  under  whom 
the  Jewish  pojDulation  of  Alexandria  became  exceedingly  numerous, 
and  state  that  in  their  midst  a  literature  of  the  Greek  language  grew 
up,  which  can  also  boast  of  many  valuable  jDroductions  in  poetry. 
Philo,  owing  to  his  splendid  style  and  his  sublime  thoughts,  is  often 
compared  to  Plato;  and  the  historian  Josephus  is  generally  styled 
the  Jewish  Livy.  Taking  now  all  that  has  been  said  in  a  compre- 
hensive form,  it  clearly  jjroves  that,  although  Israel's  highest  mis- 
sion, the  jDulsation  of  his  heart,  consisted  in  his  religion,  neverthe- 
less in  productions  of  art  he  also  took  a  place  of  honor,  not  only  in 
ancient  times,  as  delineated  here,  but  during  nearly  every  period  in 
his  history.  L.  Heezfeld. 


Dr.  L.  Heezfeld,  an  eminent  man  of  letters;  Chief  Rabbi  of  Brunswick;  one  of  the  editors 
ot  an  annual  for  the  advancement  of  Jewish  literature,  and  author  of  many  other  useful  pub- 
lications. 


Impetus  -Violent  effort. 

HiERAEOHY — A  sacred  government;  ecclesi- 
astical establishments. 

Capital — The  upper  part  of  a  pillar. 

Ablution — The  act  of  cleansing. 

Qdadbipaetite— Having  four  parts;  divided 
into  four  parts. 

Basilica — A  large  hall. 

Ionic — Belonging  to  Ionia,  to  one  of  the  dia- 
lects of  the  Greek  language,  to  one  of  the  five 
orders  of  architecture. 

Monolith — A  pillar  consisting  of  one  stone. 

Mausoleum — A  grand  funeral  monument. 

Plastic— Having  the  power  to  give  form. 

L^ERic — Pertaining  to  a  harij;  odes  or  poetry 
sung  to  a  harp. 

Typic — Figurative  of  something  else. 


Glyptic  -  Pertaining  to  the  art  ot  engraving. 

Mimic — Imitative. 

Theeapeutic — Curative;  endeavoring  to  cure 
diseases. 

Recitative — A  kind  of  tuneful  pronuncia- 
tion; rather  musical. 

Idyl — A  short  poem  in  the  pastoral  style. 

Mythic — Fabulous. 

Fantasy — Fancy;  imagination;  image  of  the 
mind. 

Didactic — Giving  precepts. 

Epithalamium— A  nuptial  song  upon  mar- 
riage. 

Erotic— Pertaining  to  love. 

Epigeam-  a  short  poem  terminating  in  a 
point. 


A  VISION  OF  JERUSALEM. 

(While  listening  to  a  beautiful  organ  in  one  of  the  Gentile  shrines.) 


I  SAW  thee,  oh,  my  fatherland,  my  beau- 
tiful, my  own ! 

As  if  thy  God  had  raised  thee  from  the 
dust  where  thou  art  strewn. 

His  glory  cast  around  thee,  and  thy 
children  bound  to  Him, 

In  links  so  brightly  woven,  no  sin  their 
light  could  dim. 

Methought  the  cymbal's  sacred  sound 

came  softly  on  ray  ear. 
The  timbrel,  and  the  psaltery,  and  the 

har])'s  full  notes  were  near; 


And  thousand  voices  chanted,  His  glory 

to  upraise. 
More  heavenly  and  thrillingly  than  e'en 

in  David's  days. 

Methought  the  sons  of  Levi  were  in  holy 

garments  there, 
Th'  anointed  one  upon   his  throne,  in 

holiness  so  fair. 
That  all  who  gazed  on  Him  might  feel 

the  promise  be  fulfill'd. 
And  sin,  and  all  her  baleful  train,  now 

he  had  to  come,  were  still'd. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


377 


And  thousands  of  my  people  throng' d 

the  pure  and  holy  fane, 
The  curse  removed  from  every  brow, 

ne'er  more  to  come  again; 
Th'  Almighty   hand  from  each,  from 

all,  had  ta'en  the  scorching  brand, 
And  Israel,  forgiven,  knelt  within  our 

own  bright  land  ! 

My  country  !  oh,  ray  country  !  was  my 

soul  enrapt  in  thee 
One  passing   moment,  that  mine  eyes 

might  all  thy  glory  see? 
What  magic  power  upheld  me  there  ? 

Alas  !  alas  !  it  past, 
And  darkness  o'er  my  aspmng  soul  the 

heavy  present  cast. 

1  stood  alone   'mid  thronging  crowds 

who  fill'd  that  stranger  shrine, 
For  there  were  none  who  kept  the  faith 

I  hold  so  dearly  mine; 
An  exile   felt   I,  in   that  house,  from 

Israel's  native  sod, 
An   exile  yearning  for  my  home — yet 

loved  still  by  my  God. 

No  exile  from  His  love  !  No,  no;  though 

captive  I  may  be. 
And  I  must  weep  whene'er  I  think,  my 

fatherland,  on  thee  ! 
Jerusalem  !  my  beautiful  !   my  own  !  I 

feel  thee  still, 
Though  for  our  sins  thy  sainted  sod  the 

Moslem  strangers  fill. 

Oh!   that  thy  children   all   would  feel 

what  our  sins  have  done. 
And  by  our  every  action   prove   such 

guilt  the  exiles  shun, 
Until  they  seek  their  God  in  prayer.  Oh! 

will  He  turn  to  them, 
And  raise  thee  once  again  in  life,  my 

own  Jerusalem ! 


"  If  they  their  own  iniquity  in  humble- 
ness confess, 

And  all  their  father's  trespasses,  nor 
seek  to  make  them  less; 

If  they  my  judgments  say  are  right,  and 
penitently  own 

They  reap  the  chastisement  of  sin, 
whose  seeds  long  years  have  sown, 

"  Then  will  1  all  my  vows  recall,  and 

from  them  take  my  hand. 
My   covenant     remember,    and     have 

mercy  on  their  land." 
So  spake  the  Lord  in  boundless  love  to 

Israel  His  son ; 
But  can  we,  dare  we  say,  these  things 

we  do  or  loe  have  dune  ? 

Alas  !  my  country,  thou  must  yet  de- 
serted rest  and  lone. 

Thy  glory,  loveliness  and  life,  a  father's 
gifts,  are  flown  ! 

Oh,  that  my  prayers  could  raise  thee  ra- 
diant from  the  sod, 

And  turn  from  Judah's  exiled  sons  their 
God's  avenging  rod ! 

And    like    an    oak   thou  standest,   of 

leaves  and  branches  shorn; 
And  we  are  like  the  wither'd  leaves  by 

autumn  tempests  torn 
From  parent  stem  and  scattered  wide 

o'er  hill  and  vale  and  seas, 
And  known  as    Judah's  ingrate  race 

wherever  we  may  be. 

Oh  !  blessed  was  that  vision'd  light  that 

flash' d  before  mine  eye; 
But,  oh,  the  quick  awakening  check'd 

my  soul's  ecstatic  sigh  ! 
Yet  still,  still  wilt  thou  rise  again,  my 

beautiful,  my  home. 
Our  God  will  bring  thy  children  back, 

ne'er,  ne'er  again  to  roam  ! 

Grace  Aguilar. 


MOSES. 


HIS   FAREWELL    TO    ISRAEL — HIS    DEATH    AND    BURIAL. 

Of  the  song  of  Moses,  which  preceded  his  ascent  of  Mount  Nebo, 
the  learned  doctor  said:  "And  Moses  gathered  all  the  elders  and 
officers  of  the  tribes  and  spoke  in  their  ears  that  stirring  psalm,  in 
which  the  shout  of  thanksgiving  and  the  song  of  joy  alternate  with 
the  roll  of   terror,  which  sounds  as  if  the  thunders  of  Sinai  were 


378  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

reverberating  anew.  For  poetic  sublimity,  for  devout  piety,  for 
holy  expostulation,  and  for  solemn  warning,  this  farewell  ode  has 
never  been  surpassed;  and  it  furnishes  an  incidental  jiroof  of  the 
fact  that,  unlike  most  other  men,  Moses  continued  to  the  very  end 
of  his  life  to  grow  in  those  qualities  of  imagination  and  fiery  enthu- 
siasm which  are  usually  regarded  as  the  special  characteristics  of 
youth.  It  has  nothing  in  it  of  the  pensive  sadness  which  fonns  the 
undertone  of  the  Ninetieth  Psalm,  and  out  of  which,  like  a  bird 
darting  up  above  the  mist  that  fiUs  an  Alj)ine  valley,  his  faith  rises 
onl}'  after  what  seems  to  be  a  long  and  labored  effort.  Rather  is  it 
akin  in  some  of  its  strains  to  his  song  upon  the  Red  Sea  shore; 
while,  in  its  exquisitely  beautiful  reference  to  the  eagle  with  her 
young,  as  well  as  in  the  frequent  allusions  which  it  makes  to  the 
rock-like  majesty,  stability  and  strength  of  God,  it  connects  itself 
with  his  meditations  and  observations  when,  as  a  shepherd,  he  fol- 
lowed Jethro's  flocks  in  the  desert  of  Midian.  There  is  thus  in  it  a 
wondrous  combination  of  the  strength  of  manhood  with  the  experi- 
ence of  old  age,  and  of  the  imaginative  force  of  youth  with  the  wis- 
dom which  increasing  years  supply.  Nor  is  this  all;  there  is  in  it  a 
marvelous  interblending  of  the  variovis  relationships  in  which  Moses 
stood  at  once  to  God  and  to  the  people.  He  praises  Jehovah  with 
the  fervor  of  a  seraph,  and  he  pleads  with  the  people  with  the  ten- 
derness of  a  father.  He  deals  with  national  subjects  in  the  spirit  of 
a  statesman,  and  warns  of  coming  doom  with  the  sternness  of  a 
prophet.  Now  the  strains  are  soft  and  low,  as  if  they  came  from  the 
cords  of  an  ^olian  harp,  stirred  by  the  breeze  of  a  gentle  summer's 
eve;  anon,  they  are  loud  and  stormful,  as  if  some  gust  of  passionate 
intensity  had  come  sweeping  over  his  spirit.  Now  they  are  lumin- 
ous with  the  recollections  of  God's  mercies,  and  again  they  are  low- 
ering as  if  laden  with  the  electric  burden  of  God's  coming  wrath. 
This  ode  conclusively  proves  that  if  Moses  had  not  been  the  greatest 
law-giver  and  statesman  of  his  nation,  and  even  of  the  world,  he 
might  have  been  one  of  its  noblest  poets.  It  shows,  too,  that  there 
was  in  him  the  exceedingly  rare  alliance  of  a  mind  which  was  alive 
to  the  importance  of  the  minutest  details  of  legislation,  with  a  soul 
whose  wings  could  soar  into  the  loftiest  regions  of  thought  and  feel- 
ing. With  undimmed  eye,  he  looked  on  more  trying  light  than 
that  of  the  common  sunshine ;  and  with  unabated  force  he  ascended, 
even  at  the  age  of  six-score  years,  a  more  ethereal  height  than  that 
of  Pisgah.  So  that,  if  this  ode  had  been  found  elsewhere  than  in  the 
Bible,  mere  literary  critics  would  have  risen  into  ecstacies  over  its 
exquisite  manifestation  of  beauty  in  the  lap  of  terror. 

Then  Moses  blessed  the  tribes  in  language  far  above  the  blessing 
pronounced  by  Jacob  on  his  sons,  as  the  character  of  Moses  tran- 
scends that  of  the  "  Supplanter;"  and,  having  set  his  house  in  order, 
there  is  nothing;  for  him  to  do  but  to  die.     And  his  death  was  in 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  379 

keeping  with  the  majesty  of  his  Hfe.     The  Lord  told  him  to  ascend 
Mount  Nebo  in  the  land  of  Moab,  over  against  Jericho,  and  view  the 
land  promised  to  the  children  of  Israel  for  an  inheritance.     With- 
drawing fi'om  the  camp,  perhaps,  in  a  quiet  and  undemonstrative 
manner,  he   took   his  way  alone  up  to  the   range    of  Abarim,  the 
Pisgali  summit,  which  travelers  have  tried  to  identify  with  Jebel 
Neba,  that  is,  "  over  against   Jericho."     And  who   may  attempt  to 
describe  his  feelings  as  he  gazed  out  upon  the  land  which  he  w^as 
not  to  be  allowed  to  enter.     At  his  feet,  flowing  along  the  edge  of 
the  plains  of  Moab,  was  the  Jordan,  hastening  to  lose  itself  in  the 
Dead  Sea.     To  the  right  his  eye  took  in  the  land  of  Gilead  until  it 
ended   far  away  in  the  noi-th.     To  the  left  the    grassy  shades  of 
Beersheba  shacled  off  into  the  brown  barrenness  of  the  Egyptian 
desert,  while  directly  in  fi'ont  of  him  lay  all  the  land  of  Judah,  with 
the   distant  hills   ot  NajDhthalion,   the   noi-thern  horizon,    and   the 
"utmost  sea  in  the  far  west."     With  such  a  prospect  before  him,  the 
words   fell  upon   his  ears:  "This  is  the  land  which  I  swear  unto 
Abraham,  unto  Isaac  and  unto  Jacob,  saying,  I  will  give  it  to  thy 
seed.     I  have  caused  thee  to  see  it  with  thine  eyes."     And  then,  not 
in  sternness,  not  in  anger,  but  in  utmost  love,  like  a  mother  lifting 
her  boy  into  her  arms,  the  Lord  added:  "But  thou  shalt  not  go 
over  thither;"  and  in  a   moment — in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye — the 
soul  of  Moses  had  passed  within  the  veil,  and  was  at  home  with 
God.     But  even  the  dust  of  his  people  is  precious  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord;  and  the  body  of  that  honored  saint  must  not  be  left  to 
become  the  prey  of  the  vulture,  nor  his  bones  to  lie  whitening  on 
the  mountain.     So  God  buried  him,  and,  as  Thomas  Fuller  quaintly 
says,  "  buried  also  his  grave ;"  so  that  "  no  man  kjioweth  his  sepul- 
cherto  this  day."     What  a  death!     What  a  burial !     How  peaceful 
the  one;  how  unostentatious  the  other  !     He  died  "by  the  word  of 
the  Lord,"  or,  more  literally,  "  by  the  mouth  of  the  Lord,"  and  we 
do  not  wonder  that  the  Jewish  rabbis  understand  it  to  mean  "  by 
the  kiss  of  the  Lord."     As  the  father  kisses  his  boy  when  he  lifts 
him  to  his  knee,  so  death  came  to  Moses  as  a  token  of  his  Lord's 
affection .     And  in  that  lonely  burial,  whose  sublimity  touches  even 
the  most  cursory  reader  of  the  narrative,  what  a  rebuke  is  addi'essed 
to  those  who  seek  to  hide  the   solemnity  of  death  beneath   floral 
offerings  and  military  processions,  or  who  vainly  attempt  to  perpet- 
uate the  memory  of  an  uneventful   life  by  a  monumental  marble  ! 
Thus  died  this  many-sided  man,  as  many  another  here  has  died, 
within  sight  of  that  which  through  life  he  has  been  straining  after, 
but  without  reaching  it.     Yet,  his  life  was  not  therefore   a  failure. 
On  the  contrary,  he  had  made  it  possible  for   Joshua  to  succeed; 
while  in  his  character  he  achieved  the  grandest  success;  so  that, 
take  him  all  in  all,  he  stands  before  us  the  noblest  of  Old  Testament 
worthies,  and  the  peer,  if  not  in  some  respects  even  the  superior,  of 


380 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  EEADER 


all  that  came  after  him.  As  the  carpenter  in  "Adam  Bede  "  says: 
"He  earned  a  hand  business  well  through,"  and  it  may  be  said  that 
he  did  so  because  the  Lord  carried  him.  Rev.  Dk.  Tatlok. 


To  Kevebbekate — To  beat  back;  to  resound.  I    Unostentatious— Not  making  show. 
Expostulation— Debate.  Cuesoby — Hasty;  quick. 

INTEEBLENDING — Mingling  togetlier.  | 


THE  BURIAL  OF  MOSES. 


By  Nebo's  lonely  mountain, 

On  this  side  Jordan's  wave, 
In  a  vale  in  the  land  of  Moab, 

There  lies  a  lonely  grave, 
Atid  no  man  dug  that  sepuleher,  I 

And  no  man  saw  it  e'er; 
For  theangelsof  God  upturned  the  sod, 

And  laid  the  dead  man  there. 

That  was  the  grandest  funeral 

That  ever  passed  on  earth; 
But  no  man  heard  the  trampling. 

Or  saw  the  train  go  forth. 
Noiselessly  as  the  daylight 

Comes  when  the  night  is  done, 
And    the    crimson   streak    on  ocean's 
cheek 

Grows  into  the  great  sun; 

Noiselessly  as  the  spring  time 

Her  crown  of  verdure  weaves, 
And  all  the  trees  on  all  the  hills 

Open  their  thousand  leaves, 
So,  without  sound  of  music 

Or  voice  of  them  that  wept. 
Silently  down  from  the  mountain  crown 

The  great  procession  swept. 

Perchance  the  bald  old  eagle 

On  grayBethpeor's  height, 
Out  of  his  rocky  eyrie 

Looked  on  the  wondrous  sight. 
Perchance  the  lion  stalking. 

Still  shuns  that  hallowed  spot, 
For  beast  and  bird  have  seen  and  heard 

That  which  man  knoweth  not. 

But  when  the  warrior  dieth. 

His  comrades  in  the  war. 
With  arms  reversed  and  muffled  drum, 

Follow  the  funeral  car; 
They  show  the  banners  taken, 

They  tell  his  battles  won. 
And  after  him  lead  his  masterless  steed, 

While  peals  the  minute  gun. 


Amid  the  noblest  of  the  land 

Men  lay  the  sage  to  resr. 
And  give  the  bard  an  honored  place 

With  costly  marble  dressed. 
In  the  great  minister  transept. 

Where  lights  like  glories  fall. 
And  the  sweet  choir  sings,  and  the  or- 
gan rings 
Along  the  emblazoned  wall. 

This  was  the  bravest  warrior 

That  ever  buckled  sword; 
This  the  most  gifted  poet 

That  ever  breathed  a  word; 
And  never  earth's  philosopher 

Traced  with  his  golden  pen, 
On  the  deathless  page,  truths  half  so 
sage 

As  he  wrote  down  for  men. 

And  had  he  not  high  honor? 

The  hillside  for  his  pall; 
To  lie  in  state  while  angels  wait 

With  stars  for  tapers  tall; 
And  the  dark  rock  pines,  like  tossing 
plumes, 

Over  his  bier  to  wave; 
And   God's  own  hand,  in   that  lonely 
land. 

To  lay  him  in  the  grave. 

In  that  deep  grave  without  a  name. 

Whence  his  uncoffined  clay 
Shall    break     again— most    wondrous 
thought ! 

Before  the  judgment  day. 
And  stand  with  glory  wrapped  around 

On  the  hills  he  never  trod,  Z^''- 

And  speak  of  the  strife  that  won   our 
life 

With  that  blessed  law  of  God. 

0  lonely  tomb  in  Moab's  land, 
0  dark  Bethpeor's  hill, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  381 

Speak  to  these  curious  hearts  of  ours,  |  He  hides   them    deep,  lil<e   the   secret 

And  teach  them  to  be  still.  j  sleep 

God  has  his  mysteries  of  grace —  Of  Moses  He  loved  so  well. 

Ways  that  we  cannot  tell;  I  Adapted. 


Eybie — "Where  birds  of  prey  build  their  nests. 


MOSES  AS  A  STATESMAN. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  a  single  instance  can  be  found  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  human  family  in  which  the  measure  of  the  highest 
standard  has  been  comiDletely  fiUed,  unless  it  may  have  been  in  the 
illustrious  lawgiver  of  the  Jews.  Although  many  of  the  most  inter- 
esting and  important  facts  in  his  personal  history  have  probabl}' 
been  lost  to  us  in  the  long  waste  of  ages  which  have  elapsed  since 
they  transpired,  while  others  are  only  revealed  to  us  through  the 
dubious  and  uncertain  medium  which  tradition  crj'stalized  into  his- 
tory centuries  subsequent  to  their  occuiTence,  there  is  enough  in 
his  ovni  brief  and  unpretending  narrative  of  the  great  events  in 
which  he  was  the  principal  actor  to  satisfy  the  reflecting  mind  that 
he  was  more  richly  endowed  with  all  the  elements  essential  to  the 
highest  order  of  statesmanship  than  any  other  whose  name  has 
illustrated  the  annals  of  mankind.  What  a  sublime  philanthrophy 
must  have  influenced  him  to  resign  the  pleasures  of  a  voluptuous 
court,  to  resist  the  temptations  of  wealth,  and  j^ower,  and  luxury, 
and  ease,  to  forego  the  companionship  of  the  learned,  and  the  society 
of  the  great,  and  to  withstand  aU  the  bright  allurements  of  personal 
ambition,  for  the  almost  hopeless  task  of  liberating  his  down-trod- 
den countrymen,  and  leading  them  back  to  the  conquest  and  pos- 
session of  their  ancient  heritage !  What  a  singular  persistency  of 
purpose ;  what  untiring  zeal ;  what  marvelous  diplomatic  skiU  he 
displayed  in  procuring  the  royal  edict  for  their  manumission  ;  what 
wonderful  powers  of  oi'ganization  he  exhibited  in  transforming  a 
stagnant  mass  of  hiimanity,  enervated  by  centuries  of  servitude, 
into  a  conquering  host;  finally  into  a  powerful  and  prosperous  com- 
monwealth !  What  a  strange,  resistless  influence  he  must  have 
been  able  to  exercise  over  the  wiUs  of  his  fellow-men  to  induce  a 
fickle  and  effeminate  people  to  follow  him  through  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  forty  years  of  wandering  through  a  barren  wilderness,  vdth 
famine  and  disease  and  danger  and  death  besetting  them  on  every 
hand  !  What  ceaseless  vigilance,  what  fertility  of  invention, 
what  judicious  calculation,  what  unwearying  patience,  inflexible 
justice,  and  invincible  courage,  were  required  to  control  and  cul- 
tivate and  soften  and  refine  a  semi-barbarous  and  seditious  multitude 
of  three  million  sords  ! 

What  accurate,  yet  enlarged  and  comprehensive,  views  he  must 
have  had  of  political  science  in  its  highest  sense,  to  be  able  to  con- 


382  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

trive,  in  the  midst  of  an  inhospitable  desert,  and  harrassed  by  almost 
every  conceivable  difficulty,  a  system  of  government  centuries  in  ad- 
vance of  the  remote  and  idolatrous  age  in  which  he  lived ;  a  govern- 
ment which,  though  not  absolutely  perfect  in  every  particular,  was 
perfectly  adapted  to  the  genius  and  circumstances  of  those  for  whom 
it  was  designed  ;  with  a  constitution  embracing  the  fundamental 
ideas  of  republican  freedom,  and  a  code  of  laws  founded  upon  a  sub- 
lime system  of  morality,  which  constitutes  to-day  the  substratum  of 
social  order  and  civil  juris]3rudence  in  every  enlightened  community 
on  the  globe  !  Having  created  a  nation  which  was  to  exercise  the 
most  important  influence  upon  the  destinies  of  the  human  race 
through  all  the  cycles  of  coming  time,  he  harbored  no  thought  of 
perpetuating  the  dynasty  of  his  own  family;  and  the  same  self- 
abnegation  which  influenced  him  to  thrust  aside  the  diadem  of 
the  proudest  kingdom  on  earth  to  become  the  deliverer  of  his 
peoj^le  was  as  conspicious  to  the  latest  moment  of  his  extraordinary 
career^  when  he  j)referred  a  secluded  and  unknown  sepulcher  to  the 
pomp  and  ceremony  of  a  pubUc  funeral.  But  he  needed  no  gorgeous 
tomb  to  enshrine  his  moldering  dust,  no  sculptured  shaft  to  tell 
the  marvelous  story  of  his  life.  "  The  whole  earth  is  his  sepulcher," 
and  the  history  of  Christian  civilization  his  epitaph.  Where  in  the 
entire  catalogue  of  illustrious  statesmen  shall  we  find  the  peer  of 
such  a  character  ?  When  we  come  to  consider  them  through  the 
calm,  clear  medium  of  enlightened  reason,  we  are  amazed  to  find 
that  a  large  majority  of  the  great  political  leaders  were  the  mere 
accidents  instead  of  the  architects  of  circumstances  which  made 
their  names  immortal.  When  we  eliminate  from  their  characters 
the  love  of  power,  the  thirst  for  popular  applause,  the  greed  of  gain, 
and  other  motives  of  a  purely  selfish  nature  by  which  they  were  con- 
trolled, and  especially  when  we  understand  precisely  how  much,  or 
rather  how  little,  the  human  family  is  really  indebted  to  them  for 
the  jDrogress  it  has  made  in  social  and  political  improvement,  we  are 
mortified  at  the  amount  of  genuine  heartfelt,  enthusiastic  admiration 
Ave  have  unwittingly  wasted  upon  them. — From  a  lecture,  "  The  Model 
Statesman,"  delivered  at  Philadelphia. 
Hon.  J.  Proctoe  Knott. 

MANtJMissioN — The  act  of  giving  liberty  to  I  SuBsiEATtiM— A  foundation;  a  basis, 

slaves.  Cycle — A  periodical  space  of  time. 

To  Effeminate —To  soften;    to  melt  into  Abnegation— Denial;  renunciation, 

weakness;  to  unman.  Eliminate — To  thrust  out;  to  expel. 

Vigilance — Watchfulness.  | 


THE  SONG  OF  MOSES. 

My  song,  arise  in  majesty,  i  My   strength    and     song  is    Jah,  the 


Ascend  in  peerless  brilliancy 
Horse,  chariot,  host  in  sea's  depths  laid 
Prove  Egypt's  gods  have   brought  no 
aid. 


Lord, 

Salvation  gleams  through  all  His  word. 
My  eyes  here  catch  that  future  sight. 
The  temple  on  Moriah's  heights. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


383 


The  Lord  made  war,  defence  of  right; 
Tlis  face  crowned  night  with  wondrous 

light. 
Bewildered,  Winded,  Pharaoh's  host 
Starap'd  no  footprint  on  this  dry  coast. 

The  officers  of  triple  crown, 

Those  numbered  Jirst  in  earth's  re- 
nown, 

All  perished  like  some  sinking  stone. 

When  parted  floods  rolled  back  to 
one. 

Most  mighty  is  that  hand,  the  Lord's  I 
Its  strokes,  like  this,  are  sin's  rewards. 
At  God's  breath  roll  the  silvered  seas, 
Or  stand  in  crystal  walls  and  trees. 

What   lustful   eyes,   closed  in  death's 

sleep, 
Have  now  their  graves   in  that  Red 

deep  ! 
*'  I'll  overtake,"  the  proud  foe  said, 
"  I'll  capture  all,  alive  or  dead." 

The    breath   of    God    touched    glassy 

walls, 
Two    floods    approached — tremendous 

falls  ; 


The  bottom  held  an  army  dead. 
As  helpless  there  as  sunken  lead. 

Who  is  Thy  like,  most  glorious  King? 
Thy  holy  name  the  seraphs  sing  ; 
Thy  praise  diffuses  trembling  awe. 
Thy  hand  suspends  prime  cosmic  law. 

Suspends,  restores ;  for  nature's  law 
Restored  the  floods.     Thy  people  saw 
Themselves  preserved  a  holy  race, 
To  build  on  earth  Thy  shrine  of  grace. 

This  day  will  be  like  deadly  darts. 
Piercing  the  nations  in  their  hearts. 
Edora  and  Moab  lose  heart  to  fight, 
Old    Canaan    swoons    ev'n   now  from 
fright. 

These  nations.  Lord,  will  melt  away, 
And,  therefore,  fail  Thy  march  to  stay; 
Thy  priests  at  home  will  teach  Thy  will. 
Thy  tribes  rebuild  Thy  holy  hill. 

Unchangeably,  Thy  house  shall  shine 
In  holy  beauty,  grace  divine  ; 
Thy  kingdom  shall  endure  for  aye, 
Nor  ages  bring  one  tint's  decay. 

A.  I. 


CosMiCAL— Eelating  to  the  world. 


TEUE  GREATNESS. 

Men  truly  great  never  know  how  great  they  are.  It  does  not 
appear  to  them  that  their  sei-vices  rendered  to  the  human  family  are 
so  very  important,  so  very  productive  of  blessings,  that  they  deserve 
special  recognition.  One  coin  in  a  bottle,  if  shaken,  makes  a  noise ; 
a  bottle  full  of  coins  makes  none.  The  good,  to  be  great,  must  be 
done  unconsciously.  It  must  be  done  by  an  irresistible  inner  im- 
pulse without  any  care  of  consequences.  This  greatness  is  called 
meekness.  "And  the  man  Moses  was  very  meek  "  (he  had  no  idea 
of  the  greatness  of  his  doings),  "  and  he  knew  not  that  his  coun- 
tenance was  beaming"  (he  was  not  aware  of  the  greatness  of  his 
wisdom  and  holiness). 

Look  at  the  story  of  the  Korah  rebellion,  as  recorded  in  the  six- 
teenth chapter  of  Numbers.  That  man  Korah  with  his  conspirators 
rose  against  Moses,  and  prefaced  their  mutiny  with  the  words: 
"  For  all  the  Edah  are  all  saints  and  God  is  among  them,"  and  Edah 
means  the  body  of  the  people's  representative.  So  the  demagogue 
speaks,  so  the  hypocrite  and  agitator  ingratiates  himself  with  the 
credulous  and  selfish  masses.     "  We  are  all  saints,"  said  he,  as  a 


384  *  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

modern  demagogue  would  say,  we  are  all  patriots,  all  virtuous  citi- 
zens, aU  of  us  statesmen  and  heroes;  why  do  you  rule  over  us?  Or, 
as  a  modern  preacher  would  say,  we  are  aU  so  truly  good,  so  emi- 
nently jjious,  so  thoroughly  learned,  so  excellently  advanced  in  art 
and  science,  so  pure  in  our  intentions,  so  hoi}'  in  our  conduct,  why 
do  you  moralize  with  us?  It  is  the  language  of  the  demagogue,  in- 
tended to  reach  seliish  aims  and  to  ruin  the  unsuspecting  masses. 
"  When  Moses  heard  this  he  feU  upon  his  face ;  "  for  he  must  have 
understood  at  once  that  it  was  not  the  language  of  honest  men,  and 
the  rogue's  intrigues  must  be  discountenanced  by  honest  men;  in 
fact,  this  is  the  test  of  straightforward  honesty  and  candor,  that  it 
cannot  face  the  impostor's  alluring  and  deceptive  words  at  once.  • 
It  bewilders  him;  he  must  have  time  to  make  up  his  mind  to  the 
fact  that  there  are  such  rogues  and  sharks  in  this  world;  Moses  fell 
upon  his  face. 

The  proposition  of  Moses  was  to  let  the  Almighty  decide.  "  And 
the  man  whom  God  will  choose,  he  is  the  holy  one.  Believing  as  he 
did,  that  God  wou^ld  not  decide  in  favor  of  the  wicked,  and  dread- 
ing the  punishment  which  he  believed  would  surely  overcome  them, 
Moses  sent  for  the  main  leaders,  Dathan  and  Abiram,  hoping  to 
persuade  them  to  do  better,  and  not  run  themselves  into  the  abyss 
of  destruction.  Thej^  would  not  listen,  would  not  come  to  Moses ; 
and  sent  him  an  insoilting  message,  which  is  again  the  language  of 
the  demagogue.  "  Thou  hast  taken  us  out  of  a  land  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey  to  kill  us  in  the  wilderness,"  said  they,  and  thus  mali- 
ciously j)erverted  facts,  as  demagogues  will  do.  To  be  redeemed 
from  bondage  and  slavery,  from  oppression  and  misery,  they  called 
to  be  brought  away  from  a  land  of  milk  and  honey.  To  receive  the 
law  and  the  commandments,  to  be  organized  to  a  j)eculiar  people, 
an  independent  people,  a  free  people,  and  to  be  sanctified  to  a  holy 
people,  God's  chosen  people,  they  called  dying  in  the  wilderness. 
This  is  a  true  j)ictiu-e  of  lying  demagogues  in  their  mean  attempts 
to  pervert  facts.  And  then  they  added  an  appeal  to  the  sensuality 
and  covetousness  of  thoughtless  masses,  to  the  j)assions  of  the  dregs  of 
society,  exactly  as  demagogues  do.  "  Thou  hast  not  brovTght  us  to  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  hast  not  given  us  an  inheritance 
of  field  and  vineyard;  wilt  thou  blind  the  eyes  of  these  men?" 

"  And  Moses  was  very  wroth."  Of  course  he  was.  An  honest 
man  cannot  listen  to  such  language  with  equanimity.  He  cannot. 
It  sounds  so  vilely  in  his  ears ;  it  appears  so  unnatural  to  his  feel- 
ings; it  rouses  so  violently  his  commiseration  for  those  who  are  to 
be  deceived,  and  his  sorrow  that  a  man  should  be  able  thus  to  deny 
and  degrade  human  nature;  he  must  be  very  wroth.  But  he  can 
be  silent  as  Moses  was,  who  made  no  reply  to  that  abusive  language. 
He  must  not  curse  because  others  do;  he  must  not  be  coarse  be- 
cause others  are ;    he  must  not  come  down  to  the  low  level  of  his 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  385 

assailants.  A  good  man  can  seal  up  liis  grief  in  silence.  To  God, 
however,  Moses  did  speak :  "  Turn  not  to  their  offering,"  said  he  to 
God;  "I  have  not  taken  one  ass  of  them,  and  I  have  wronged  none 
of  them." 

These  words  sound  very  peculiar.  Does  a  man  deserve  particu- 
lar consideration  because  he  took  no  ass  of  anybody  and  wronged 
none  ?  It  is  true,  if  the  ruler  of  a  nation  wrongs  none  in  the  en- 
joyment of  his  rights,  and  appropriates  to  himself  none  of  his  sub- 
jects' prDj^ei-ty,  he  might  be  called  a  tolerably  good  ruler,  and  very 
little  better  can  be  said  of  the  best  of  rulers;  but  had  Moses  to  say 
no  more  in  his  favor  before  God  V  Of  course,  he  could  not  say  to 
God,  behold  I  have  brought  them  out  of  Egypt,  led  them  through 
the  Red  Sea,  gave  them  manna,  and  water  from  the  rock,  gave  them 
law,  religion,  ethics,  organization,  a  tabernacle  and  covenant,  etc., 
for  he  was  the  "  servant  of  God,''  and  claimed  nothing  of  the  kind. 
He  knew  that  God  had  done  it  all,  and  that  he  was  a  mere  instru- 
ment in  the  hand  of  providence.  The  man  of  destiny  knows  it,  and 
can  claim  nothing  for  himself.  He  is  a  messenger,  an  agent,  a 
servant,  an  instrument.  Moses  was  too  meek  to  deny  or  for  oaie 
moment  to  forget  this.  He  could  say  before  God  nothing  of  all  that. 
But  as  a  man,  a  teacher,  a  character,  a  mighty  leader,  had  he  nothing 
to  say  for  himself  except  that  he  stole  no  ass  and  wronged  nobody  ? 
Nothing,  not  a  word.  He  could  not  possibly  be  conscious  of  his 
superior  wisdom,  goodness  and  energy;  he  could  not  be  aware  of 
the  great  and  good  things  he  had  done  for  Israel  and  the  human 
family  and  be  Moses.  He  could  not  boast  before  the  Almighty  of  his 
own  merits,  works  and  superiority,  and  be  the  servant  of  the  Most 
High.  Nothing,  not  a  word  had  he  to  say  of  himself,  about  him- 
self; although  he  was  very  wroth,  he  was  wronged,  he  was  outraged 
by  his  own  brethren,  he  had  nothing  to  say  of  himself  or  for  himself, 
and  that  marks  the  man  of  tru,e  greatness;  he  knows  not  how  great 
he  is. 

What  he  did  say  in  that  state  of  excitement  was  simply  this:  "If 
I  deserve  punishment,  chastisement,  visitation,  or  moi-titication,  why 
must  you,  Dathan  and  Abiram,  do  it,  when  I  have  not  injured  you  in 
your  property  or  rights  ?  Who  has  appointed  you  to  insult  me,  if 
1  have  never  insulted  you  ?"  Moses  could  not  imagine  how  a  man 
could  do  evil  to  his  neighbor  who  has  done  him  no  wrong,  and  be- 
lieving they  speak  what  hey  think  and  feel,  he  said,  "  They  sj^eak  of 
property,  of  fields  and  vineyards,  they  love  wealth  and  earthly  pos- 
sessions, and  I  have  not  touched  an3thing  which  they  claimed;  they 
speak  of  the  beauties  of  Egypt,  the  charms  of  slavery;  they  love 
slavery,  and  I  have  not  forced  them  to  follow  me,  to  partake  with 
me  of  the  privations  in  the  desert;  I  have  done  them  no  wrong. 
Having  done  them  personally  no  wTong,  why  do  they  thus  mortify 
me  ?"     Moses  was  too  good  to  know  that  there  are  bad  men,  who 

PART  HI.      25 


386  SCHOOL  x\ND  FAMILY  READER 

know  of  no  consideration  when  they  are  after  selfish  purposes ;  who 
care  for  none  but  themselves,  feel  with  and  for  none  in  their  wicked 
ambition;  and  in  his  faith  in  human  nature  he  exclaimed  before 
God,  "  I  have  not  wronged  them,"  and  proved  how  far  superior  he 
was  in  human  greatness  to  his  antagonists.  1.  M.  W. 


Db.  Isaac  M.  Wise,  minister  of  "  Benai  Jeshurun  "  Cincinnati;  founder  and  chief  editor 
of  the  "  American  Israelite." 


THE  SUN  OF  ISRAEL. 

Was    it  thus,   stricken    remnant,   the    So  it  bursts  to  assure  thee,  oh  !  desolate 

one, 
That  in  sorrow  and  exile  His  pres- 
ence is  here. 


glory  of  God 
Burst  forth  on  thy  fathers,  and  show- 
ered its  light 
Across  the  rough  path  that  those  weary 
ones  trod, 
A  cloud-pillar  by  day,  a  flame-wit- 
ness by  night  ? 

As  it  guided   the   sire,  it  now  gleams 
o'er  the  son, 
As  it  shone  in  the  wilderness  lonely 
and  drear, 


Then  say  not  the  day  of  thy  triumph 
has  fled, 
Say  not  that  the  star  of  thy  glory 
has  set — 
While  the  same  holy  blessings  still  rest 
on  thy  head, 
And  the  same  "fire  from  heaven'' 
illumines  thee  yet. 

Rebekah  Hyneman. 


Weitten  on  seeing  the  sun  suddenly  break  forth,  and  illuminate  the  Book  of  the  Law,  as 
it  was  being  carried  to  the  Ark. 


THE  SYNHEDRIONS. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  a  knowledge  of  the  law  was  widespread 
in  Israel,  since  the  twenty-three  judges,  who  were  appointed  in 
every  place  of  120  inhabitants,  were  bound  to  indemnify  a  person 
whom  they  should  have  condemned  in  error  if  they  had  no  diploma, 
Now  diplomas  were,  at  least  after  the  destruction  of  the  Temple, 
very  rare,  since  illustrious  doctors  Hke  Sumkhus,  Simon,  son  of 
Nonas,  the  son  of  Azai,  or  Samuel,  had  none. 

We  have  also  other  proofs  that  the  judges  were  all  learned  men. 
Nevertheless,  despite  their  learning,  they  were  only  allowed  to  judge 
matters  involving  fines,  and,  of  course,  still  less  impose  any  bodily 
chastisement,  unless  they  were  jorovided  with  diplomas.  A  diploma 
confeiTed  on  the  possessor  the  title  of  Rabbi,  and  authority  to  judge 
matters  involving  fines.  Three  competent  persons  were  required  to 
give  a  diploma.  Such  a  diploma,  moreover,  freed  a  judge  from 
the  obhgation  of  indemnifying  a  person  condemned  in  error. 
Sometimes  temporary  diplomas  were  given,  or  only  for  certain 
countries. 

For  the  rest  the  Synhedrions  were  elected  by  universal  suffrage. 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  387 

The  inhabitants  of  every  city  nominated,  by  vmiversal  suflrajie,  both 
the  judges  and  the  Synhedrions  of  their  cities,  selecting  them  from 
among  those  who  were  learned,  humble  and  popular.  The  Synhe- 
drion  of  Jerusalem,  of  seventy-one  members,  confirmed  the  author- 
ity of  the  provincial  Synhedrions.  At  Jerusalem  itself  there  were 
three  Synhedrions;  the  first,  consisting  of  twenty -three  members, 
recruited  itself  from  the  several  provincial  Synhedrions;  the  sec- 
ond, likewise  composed  of  twenty-three  members,  recruited  itself 
from  the  first;  lastly,  the  third,  composed  of  seventy-one  members, 
and  which  constituted  the  supreme  authority  of  the  nation,  recruited 
itself  from  the  second. 

All  these  judges  received  no  salary  either  from  the  city  or  the 
litigants;  they  continued,  after  their  nomination,  in  their  occupa- 
tions as  before,  some  working  in  the  field  as  simple  laboi-ers,  othei-s 
as  shoemakers,  blacksmiths,  etc.  On  Mondays  and  Thursdays  the 
judges  were  the  whole  day  at  court  attending  to  the  pleas  ;  on  other 
days  they  did  not  go  there  except  when  necessary  ;  for  the  two  days 
of  the  week  mentioned,  the  country  people  came  to  town  to  listen  to 
the  reading  of  the  law,  and  this  was  turned  to  an  account  in  the 
matter  of  law-suits.  If  the  suitors  wished  for  a  judge  while  he  was 
engaged  in  field  work,  he  had  the  right  to  require  them  to  hire  a 
substitute  for  the  time  that  he  might  be  engaged  with  their  suit, 
but  he  could  not  ask  for  more.  The  functions  of  judge,  therefore,^ 
were  purely  honorary,  and  they  were  discharged  as  religious  duties  ; 
for  to  give  judgment  was  considered  as  a  mitzvah  (a  meritorious 
action).  There  were,  moreover,  numerous  academies  directed  by 
illustrious  doctors,  which,  at  the  same  time,  constituted  as  many 
tribunals.  These  academy-tribunals  enjoyed  greater  moral  author- 
ity and  inspired  more  confidence  than  the  other  tribunals. 

For  the  rest  the  Synhedrions  of  the  cities  occupied  themselves 
not  only  with  the  disj)ensation  of  justice,  but  also  with  all  public 
and  private  affairs  which  came  within  the  province  of  the  niagis- 
trates  and  the  police.  They  inspected  the  houses  of  public  safety  ; 
they  inspected  the  measures,  often  causing  new  ones  to  be  made,, 
and  attached  their  seals  to  the  old  ones,  that  it  might  be  known 
that  they  had  been  verified  ;  they  also  occupied  themselves  with 
public  chai'ities,  schools,  the  fortifications  of  cities,  the  re-partition 
of  imposts,  etc. 

The  procedure  was  very  simple.  The  suitors  were  heard,  and 
then  sent  out  of  the  hall  in  order  for  the  court  to  deliberate  ;  they 
were  then  recalled  and  judgment  given.  But  what  is  to  be  noticed 
is,  that  the  judges  were  bound  to  state  the  reasons  of  their  judgment 
to  the  suitors. 

The  Synhedrion  of  seventy-one  at  Jerusalem,  had,  in  addition,  a 
political  function.  It  could  declare  war,  and  install  Synhedi'ions  of 
cities.     A  capital  sentence  could  only  be  passed  by  a  Synhedrion  of 


y88 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  RFADER 


twenty-three,  but  a  civil  case  only  required  a  court  of  three  judges. — 
"  Legislation  Criniinelle  Du  Talmud."  De.  Rabbinowicz. 


Dr.  Rabbinowicz,  D  M.  of  the  University  of  Breslau,  a  great  literati;  an  eminent  Hebrew 
scholar;  author  of  a  Hebrew  grammar,  "  Life  of  Maimonides,"  and  a  great  many  other  useful 
works  on  education  and  theology. 

Diploma— A   letter    or  writing    conferring  I     Litigant— One  engaged  in  a  suit  of  law. 
some  privilege.  | 


AFTER  RABBI  JEHUDAH  HA-LEVI. 


I. 


Thy  undefiled  dove, 

Thy  fondling,  thy  love, 

That  once  had,  all  blest, 

In  thy  bosom  her  nest — 

Why  dost  thou  forsake  her 

Alone  in  the  forest  ? 

And  standest  aloof, 

When  her  need  is  the  sorest  ? 

While  everywhere 

Threatens  snare  ; 

Strangers  stand  around  her, 

And  strive  night  and  day 

To  lead  her  astray. 

While  in  silence  she. 

In  the  dead  of  night. 

Looks  up  to  Thee, 

Her  sole  delight. 

Dost  thou  not  hear. 

Her  voice  sweet  and  dear  ; 

Wilt  aye  thou  forsake  me  i* 

M.y  darling,  my  one  ! 
And  I  know  that  beside  Thee, 
Redeemer,  there's  none ! 

U. 

How  long  will  thy  dove 
Thus  restlessly  rove 
In  the  desert  so  wild. 
Mocked  and  reviled  ? 
And  the  maid-servant's  son 
Came  furiously  on. 
Dart  after  dart, 
Pierced  through  my  heart. 
Horrid  birds  of  prey 
Lie  soft  in  my  nest. 
While  I,  without  rest. 
Roam  far,  far  away. 
And  still  I  am  waiting 
And  contemplating ; 
And  counting  the  days , 
And  counting  the  years  ; 


The  miracles  ceased 

No  prophet  appears  ; 

And  wishing  to  learn 

About  thy  return, 

And  asking  my  sages  : 

Is  the  end  drawing  nigh  ? 

They  sadly  reply : 

That  day  and  that  hour 

But  to  Him  are  known. 

And  I  know  that  beside  thee, 
Redeemer,  there's  none  ! 

III. 

And  my  wee,  cooing  dear  ones. 

The  bright  and  the  clear  ones, 

Were  dragged  in  their  slumbers 

By  infinite  numbers 

Of  vultures  so  horrid 

To  cold  climes  and  torrid, 

Far,  far  away. 

And  those  Jbirds  of  prey 

Try  to  render  them  faithless. 

And  make  them  give  up 
i  Thee,  their  sole  hope  ! 
!  To  turn  their  affection 

From  Thee,  0  Perfection  ! 

Thou  friend  of  the  friendless  ! 

Thou  beauty  endless  ! 

Ah,  where  art  thou? 

My  darling,  my  one  ! 

My  foes  are  near, 

My  friend  is  gone. 

Fainting  in  sorrow, 

I'm  here  all  alone. 
And  I  know  that  beside  Thee, 
Redeemer,  there's  none ! 

IV, 

Oh,  hasten,  my  love. 
To  thy  poor,  timid  dove  ! 
They  trample  with  their  feet  me, 
They  laugh  when  I  mourn  ; 
There's  no  friend  to  greet  me. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


'S80 


I  am  all  forlorn  ! 

My  foes  in  their  passion, 

And  wild  frantic  ire, 

Employ  sword  and  fire, 

And  all  kinds  of  tortures, 

And  know  no  compassion. 

They  drive  from  land  to  land  me  ; 

There's  none  to  befriend  me. 

The  stars  there  on  high 

Hear  me  silently  moan. 
And  I  know  that  beside  Thee, 
Reedemer,  there's  none ! 

V. 

Bidst  thou  reject  me  ? 
Dost  love  me  no  more  ? 
Didst  thou  forget  all 


Thy  promises  of  yore  ? 
Oh,  rend  thy  heavens  ! 
Oh,  come  down  again  ! 
My  enemies  may  see 
That  I,  not  in  vain, 
Have  trusted  in  Thee. 
As  once  upon  Sinai, 
Come  down,  my  sole  dear. 
In  Thy  majesty  appear  ! 
Hurl  down  from  his  throne, 
The  maid-servant's  son  ! 
And  strength  impart 
To  my  fainring  heart. 
Ere  sadly  I  wander 
To  the  land  unknown. 

For  I  know  that  beside  Thee, 

Redeemer,  there's  none  ! 

Prof.  Emanuel  Loewenthal. 


THE  TALMUD. 


Among  the  nations  of  antiquity  to  whom  the  modern  world  is  in- 
debted for  the  basis  of  its  civiHzation,  the  Hebrew  people  occupies 
confessedly  a  notable  position.  One  book,  nothing  more,  represents 
the  contribution  of  the  Hebrews  to  the  great  bequest  made  by  the 
past  to  the  present;  while  the  inventory  of  the  treasures  inherited 
from  Greece  and  Kome  enumerated  an  infinite  variety  of  the  most 
beautiful  productions  of  human  genius.  Still,  such  is  the  inherent 
majesty  of  that  book,  that,  since  its  introduction,  no  attempt  on  a 
large  scale  has  ever  succeeded  in  weakening  the  power  of  its  coun- 
sels over  the  hearts  of  the  countless  millions  to  whom  it  is  a  tiiisty 
guide  on  their  way  from  the  cradle  to  beyond  the  grave.  To  this  book 
of  books,  the  whole  of  the  Hebrew  literature,  covering,  as  it  does,  the 
large  space  of  time  fi'om  the  close  of  the  Canon  to  our  own  period, 
forms  a  grand  appendix.  Science,  ethics,  history,  fiction  in  prose 
and  verse,  every  exercise  of  the  mental  faculty,  bears,  if  clad  in 
Hebrew,  the  stamp  of  its  Biblical  origin — a  circumstance  which  nec- 
essarily imparts  to  the  character  of  that  literature  a  center  of  one- 
sidedness,  for  which,  however,  the  gravity  of  the  diction  and  the  ab- 
sence of  commonplace  make  no  slight  compensation.  This  complex 
of  literaiy  productions  constitutes  Rabbinical  literature,  based  upon 
tradition  in  the  widest  accej)tation  of  the  term. 

More  strictly  speaking,  the  authoritative  tradition  is  deposited  in 
the  Talmudical  treatises  only,  which  it  was  considered  iUieit  to 
transmit  otherwise  than  oraUy,  until  distressful  events  placed  the 
teachers  of  the  people  between  the  alternatives  of  either  preserving 
their  doctrines  in  written  codices,  or  of  exposing  them  to  neglect, 
and  even  to  oblivion.     In  its  widest  sense,  however,  the  tradition  in- 


390  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  HEADER 

eludes  all  the  ancient  Hebrew  literary  monuments,  with  the  sole  ex- 
ception of  the  Pentateuch,  the  reproduction  of  which  in  writing  was 
looked  upon  as  a  highly  meritorious  act.  The  Hellenistic  writings 
of  Alexandrian  Jews,  although  they  were  evidently  dictated  by  the 
2:)atriotic  desire  to  impress  the  Grecian  world  with  respect  to  tJie 
religion  and  the  ethics  of  the  Jewish  people,  made  hardly  any  im- 
pression on  the  Hebrew-speaking  Palestinians.  Even  the  Alexan- 
drian version  of  the  Scriptures  was  for  a  reason  looked  upon  as  an 
irreligious  attempt,  sure  some  day  to  lead  to  the  substitution  of  du- 
bious imitations  for  the  one  original  sacred  exemplar.  As  for 
Flavius  Josephus,  but  for  whom  there  would  not  be  an  intelligible 
l^ast  Biblical  history  of  the  Jews,  his  name  is  sought  for  in  vain 
among  the  records  of  his  countrymen;  it  might  be  on  account  of  the 
cringing  adulation  offered  by  that  historian  to  the  destroyer  of  the 
sacred  Temple  and  city,  were  not  an  equal  disregard  the  lot  of  the 
Alexandi'ian  philosopher,  Philo,  the  ardent  defender  of  the  civic 
lights  of  his  brethren  before  the  throne  of  the  Emperor  Cahgula. 
The  contents  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  were  accessible,  since  the  second 
century  before  the  Christian  era,  to  the  inquisitive  familiar  with 
Greek — that  is,  to  all  the  educated  in  the  Roman  Empire;  and 
especially  so  when,  in  the  first  Christian  age,  as  Augustin  states,  in- 
numerable Latin  versions  were  published.  But  the  Jewish  tradition 
and  its  dialectics  remained  a  mystery,  of  which  a  select  body  out  of  a 
small  population  held  the  key.  And  thus  it  has  been  ever  since, 
mth  rare  exceptions.  It  would,  however,  be  a  great  historical  error 
to  deny  to  the  traditional  school  of  the  Jews  a  deep  effect  on  the 
philosophy  and  the  ethics  of  the  world,  far  beyond  the  narrow  pre- 
cincts of  the  synagogue.  What  more  powerful,  more  lasting,  than 
the  effect  wrought  on  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  men,  generation 
after  generation,  by  the  argumentative  writings  of  the  apostle  Paul, 
a  most  diligent  student,  according  to  the  strictest  system  of  tradi- 
tion, under  R.  Gamaliel  the  elder,  who  was  the  grandson  of  the 
illustrious  Hillel,  at  that  time  president  of  the  Sanhedrim  (or  Synhe- 
drion)  at  Jerusalem.  The  close  conformity  of  the  apostle's  dialectics 
to  those  of  the  doctors  of  the  tradition  is  fully  brought  out  in  the 
Rabbinical  Commentary  on  some  of  the  Pauline  Epistles,  published 
in  Hebrew  by  a  great  German  Talmudist.  Thus,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  world's  new  era,  the  traditional  method  of  the  Jewish 
schools  achieved  triumph  second  to  none  in  the  history  of  the  edu- 
cation of  mankind;  and  the  astounding  revolution  produced  in  the 
moral,  and  gradually  in  the  political  world,  nearly  2,000  years  since, 
by  the  spread  of  Pauline  Christianity,  had  its  paraUel,  although  on  a 
less  extensive  area,  in  the  age  of  the  Reformation. 

When  the  Reformation  had  become  an  accomplished  fact  with  the 
overthrow  of  Spanish  jDolitical  supremacy,  the  emancipation  of  the 
European  mind  from  mediaeval  tutelage  proceeded  rapidly.     The 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


391 


bonds  were  loosened  which  had  until  then  held  s(denee  attached  to 
doctrinal  theology.  A  new  basis  was  laid  for  the  study  of  experi- 
mental science,  and  speculative  philosophy  strove  to  discover  a  new 
and  superior  method.  Eight  years  after  the  death  of  Lord  Bacon 
Benedict  Spinoza  was  born  at  Amsterdam,  in  1632,  from  whom  de- 
parted that  mighty  impulse  which  has  carried  the  philosophy  of  Ger- 
many to  the  height  attained  by  it  in  our  days.  Now,  that  man  was  a 
paragon  of  Talmudical  learning,  the  favorite  puj^il  of  R.  Morteira,  of 
Amsterdam,  before  ever  he  commenced  the  study  of  Latin  grammar 
under  good  Dr.  Vanende ;  and  it  is  therefore  fair  to  attribute  to  the 
intellectual  discipline  of  the  Talmud  the  largest  share  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  his  mind  for  his  vast  achievements  as  a  philosopher.  He  was 
misunderstood;  he  was  ill-treated  by  his  contemporaries,  but  full 
amends  have  been  made  to  his  memory  by  a  more  enlightened  gen- 
eration. Thus  the  apostle  of  the  fii'st,  and  the  philosopher  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  however  really  or  apparently  antagonistic  on 
dogmatic  points,  concur  in  affording  strong  personal  evidence  of  the 
effect  of  the  Talmudical  system  upon  the  onward  movement  of  man- 
kind. T. 


THE  VISION  OF  RABBI  HUNA 

The  sun  had  set  upon  Jerusalem, 

And  scattered  rosy  circles  round  the 
Mount 

Whereon  the  ruins  of  the  Temple  lay 

Like  faded  leaves  by  autumn  winds  dis- 
placed. 


Beneath  the  shadow  of  a  crumbling 
wall 

Sat  Rabbi  Huna,  and  his  mind  was 
sad 

With  anxious  thoughts  and  bitter  mem- 
ories. 

Here,  on  this  spot,  not  many  years  be- 
fore, 

The  gorgeous  Temple  of  his  race  had 
stood. 

And  now,  how  changed,  alas!  and  deso- 
late 

The  sacred  precincts!  Not  with  litanies, 


"Oh,  how  I  love  thee,  tho'  upon  thy 

neck 
With   crushing  force    the   conqueror's 

foot  is  pressed. 
The  last  glad  strains  of  the  prophetic  lyre 
I  seem  to  hear  across  thy  sloping  hills. 
Bright  visions  of  thy  glory  thrill  me  yet, 
When  in  thy  prophet's  words,  in  bridal 

dress, 
With   peerless  gems  upon  thy  radiant 

brow, 
Thou  wert  betrothed  unto  Israel's  God; 
And  now — "    The  Rabbi  faltered  as  he 

thought. 
And  sighing  sunk  into  a  dreamy  sleep. 

Strange   fancies  came  to  Huna  as  he 

slept. 
He  trod  once  more  the  Temple's  sacred 
courts. 
And  vows  and  prayers,  more  would  they  j  But  there  no  altar  dripped  with  stream- 
resound.  !  ing  gore, 
Gone,  like  a  dream,  the  glory  of  the  ]  No   groans   of    sacrificial    sheep    were 

past.  heard; 

No  future  promise;  only  presages  No     priests     in     sacerdotal     splendor 

Of  want  and  woe,  and  still  more  troub-  dressed; 


lous  times. 

''  Oh,  how  I  love  thee,  ray  Jerusalem  !" 

So  sighed  the  Rabbi  as  he  sunk  to  rest — 


No  swelling  chant,  no  pomp  of  hturgy; 
No  incense  fragrant  to  propitiate. 
A  brighter  radiance  seemed   within  to 
shine 


392  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

From  the  eternal  light  of  purity,  An  overflowing  font  of  love  and  truth 


And  aspirations  for  the  beautiful, 
The  true,  the  good,  the  pure. 

The  Rabbi  wakes. 


Which,  shedding  far  and  near  its  bliss 

ful  rays, 
Clad  every  worshiper  in  holiness. 
There  was  no  spoken  prayer,  no  mum 

bling  lips,  j  Dread  sounds  of  tumult  rouse  him  from 

Mo  smiting  of  the  breast,  no  postures  I         his  sleep, 

vain;  A  prowling  band  of  Roman  soldiery, 

'       With  cries  of  triumph,  tracked  him  to 
this  spot. 
His  helpless  form  their  glittering  swords 

soon  pierced, 
And  with   "  Shema    Yisroel !"    Huna 

dies. 
Upon  his  face  there  rests  a  placid  smile, 
As  if  he  trod  the  New  Jerusalem. 

J.  M. 


A  reverent  crowd  with  every  impulse 
bent 

To  worship  God  thro'  sacred  brother- 
hood. 

They  had  indeed  their  holy  litanies. 

Which  not  in  book  or  roll  alone  were 
writ; 

An  open  hand,  a  humble  heart  and 
mind. 


THE   TALMUD— Continued. 

n. 

Ezra  reintroduced  the  law  of  Moses  from  Babylon  into  the  Holy 
Land.  Neither  the  homeward  emigi'ation  under  Zerubbabel,  nor 
that  under  Ezra,  or  Nehemiah,  disturbed,  permanently,  the  Hebrew 
settlements  in  the  Persian  dominions.  The  Talmud  insists  on  the 
fact  that  the  most  notable  families,  while  rejoicing  in  and  supporting 
the  political  regeneration  of  their  ancestral  country,  did  not  abandon 
their  dweUing-places  between  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  where  they 
had  founded  new  homesteads  for  themselves.  The  Hebrews  in 
Persia  lived  in  compact  communities,  according  to  their  own  cus- 
toms, and  mainly  under  their  own  laws,  watched  over  by  the  Prince 
of  the  Captivity.  Palestine  was  looked  upon  as  the  center  of 
authority,  to  which  a  degree  of  allegiance  was  conceded  by  the 
whole  race,  sections  of  which  were  already  then,  and  particularh' 
after  the  era  of  Alexander,  settled  in  numerous  places  in  Western 
Asia  and  North  Africa,  and  afterward,  about  the  time  of  Augustus, 
in  many  a  province  of  Greece  proper,  and  Italy.  Alexandria,  for 
some  centuries  after  its  Macedonian  founder  the  emporium  of  the 
world,  and  the  Athens  of  the  age,  contained  a  large  Jewish  population, 
which  occupied  the  Delta  and  another  of  the  five  divisions  of  the 
city ;  these  strangers  threw  themselves  with  energy  into  the  intellectual 
movement,  encouraged  by  the  Ptolemies;  they  were  famous  artisans, 
and  rose  to  importance  through  the  extent  of  their  commerce —  a  pur- 
suit scarcely  known  among  them  in  the  Holy  Land,  biit  for  which 
they  seem  to  have  acquired  great  skill  and  an  imperishable  taste  in 
their  rivalry  with  the  Greeks  of  Alexandria. 

The  Alexandrian  synagogue — a  grand  building  in  the  form  of  a 
basilica,  with  double  colonnade,  became,  in  after  times,  the  theme 
of  many  a  popular  legend,  illustrative  of  its  magnitude  and  splendor.- 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  395 

Egypt  possessed,  moreoA'er,  from  about  160  b.  cli.  e.  until  73  a.  ch.  e. 
(233  years),  a  temple,  a  miniature  copy  of  that  at  Jex'usalem,  and 
the  only  one  that  existed  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  Holy  Laud. 
It  was  built  and  inaugurated  by  Onias,  the  last  remnant  of  the 
priestly  family  of  Joshua,  who  was  the  companion  of  Zerubbabel. 
Onias  fled  into  Egypt  to  escape  from  the  intrigues  of  Jason  and 
Menelaus,  the  rival  usurpers  of  the  high -priesthood  in  the 
beginning  of  the  reign  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  He  was  kindly 
received  by  Ptolemy  Philometor,  and,  for  some  political  services  ren- 
dered, the  King  granted  Onias  leave  to  dedicate,  on  the  site  of 
the  former  heatlien  altar,  a  temj^le  to  Jehovah,  in  the  district  of 
Heliopolis,  some  twenty  miles  from  Memphis,  within  the  land  of 
Goshen,  to  the  high  gratification  of  the  Egyptian  Jews,  who  saw 
therein  the  fulfillment  of  a  prophecy  in  Isaiah  xix:  19.  "  In  that  day 
there  shall  be  an  altar  to  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt." 
In  Jerusalem  the  existence  of  the  temple  of  Onias  was  not  consid- 
ered to  betoken  a  schism,  inasmuch  as  the  Egyptians  themselves 
conceded  to  the  temple  at  Zion  its  metropolitan  supremacy,  and  in 
every  other  way  maintained  friendly  intercourse  with  the  brethren 
at  Jerusalem.  The  Alexandrians  did  not,  however,  contribute  in  an 
appreciable  degree  to  the  develoj)ment  of  the  study  of  the  law,  and 
there  is,  indeed,  no  mention  in  Jewish  literature,  either  of  their 
schools,  or  of  representative  teachers  produced  by  them,  until  long- 
after  the  Talmudical  epoch. 

Babylonia,  on  the  contrary,  was  studded  with  schools  and 
synagogues,  some  of  which  date  from  the  time  of  Ezra,  and  even 
of  Ezekiel,  if  the  local  traditions  may  be  trusted.  Long  before  the 
destruction  of  the  second  temple,  there  w^ere  seats  of  learning  in  the 
valley  of  the  Euphrates,  at  Nehardea,  Sura,  Pumbadita,  and  else- 
where, but  the  history  of  these  academies  and  their  leaders  is  sadly 
defective  prior  to  the  first  century  b.  ch.  e.  Learned  men,  and  youths 
desirous  of  learning,  frequently  passed  between  Babylonia  and 
Palestine,  whereby  the  unity  of  doctrine  was  maintained.  Thus 
HiUel  in  his  youth  went  to  Jerusalem  to  study  there,  then  returned  to 
the  country  of  his  birth,  till  in  the  year  32  b.  ch.  e.,  at  the  age  of 
forty-three,  he  was  called  to  occupy  the  presidential  chair  in  the 
great  Sanhedrim.  With  him  a  new  era  begins.  Hillel  is  the  moral 
hero  of  the  tradition.  He  exhibited  those  qualities  which  form  the 
ideal  Hebrew  character — great  gentleness,  deep  humility,  and  per- 
fect equanimity  under  all  trials — the  product  of  the  love  and  fear  of 
God.  The  deterring  austerity  of  his  otherwise  estimable  colleague, 
Shammai,  is  used  as  a  foil  to  set  off  HiUel's  superior  amiability.  Num- 
erous sayings  of  a  high  moral  beauty  are  attributed  to  Hillel.  He  it 
was  that  said  (Aboth  i:  11):  "Love  peace  and  pursue  it;  love  all 
men,  and  thus  bring  them  nearer  to  the  law  of  God."  To  the 
heathen,  who  wished  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the  whole  law  in 


394  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

one  lesson,  lie  said  (Sabb.  31):  "Do  not  to  thy  fellow-man  what  thou 
Avouldst  not  that  he  should  do  unto  thee.  This  is  the  whole  law; 
all  the  rest  is  commentary."  He  also  said  ( Aboth  i :  13) :  "  The  man 
that  hunts  after  fame  shall  lose  his  good  name  ;  he  that  does  not 
progress  in  knowledge  goes  backward;  he  that  does  not  care  for 
knowledge  commits  suicide ;  but  the  man  that  uses  learning  for  self- 
glorification  derseves  to  be  forgotten."  He  passed  legal  reforms,  es- 
pecially in  the  direction  of  the  transfer  of  landed  property,  which 
were  demanded  by  the  change  through  which  the  people  had  passed, 
from  an  agricultural  life  to  the  more  varied  pursuits  introduced  and 
fostered  b^^  a  livelier  intercourse  with  foreign  countries.  But  the 
memory  of  Hillel  is  chiefly  revered  for  his  greatness  as  a  teacher 
of  the  law.  He  collected  the  numerous  oral  traditions  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation  by  the  learned  ;  he  ar- 
ranged them  into  six  well-defined  orders,  according  to  their 
subjects;  in  fact,  he  prejDared  the  materials  which  one  of  his  lineal 
descendants  used  some  200  years  later  for  the  compilation  of  the 
Mishna. 

The  Mishna  cannot  be  called  a  commentary,  in  the  ordinary  ac- 
ceptance of  the  term,  on  the  Pentateuch,  for  it  does  not  elucidate 
seriatim  the  chapters  and  books  of  the  sacred  text;  it  rather  professes 
to  give  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  laws  of  the  Pentateuch 
were  legally  interpreted  and  historically  carried  into  effect.  The 
commandments  and  the  prohibitions  of  the  law  are  distributed  under 
six  heads,  named  orders,  subdivided  into  treatises,  of  which  there  are 
€3  (some  count  62),  composed  of  chapters,  524  altogether,  each  of 
which  contains  a  number  of  sections  called  rules,  amounting  to  8,829 
for  the  whole  Mishna.  The  first  order  treats  of  laws  relating  to 
agricultural  produce.  The  second  enumerates  the  festivals  and 
their  regulations.  The  third  contains  the  laws  on  marriage  and  di- 
vorce. The  fourth  details  the  proceedings  in  questions  of  mine  and 
thine.  The  fifth  relates  to  the  sanctuary  and  sacrifices.  The  sixth 
defines  the  notions  of  pure  and  impure  in  ritual  matters.  From  the 
arrangement  of  the  contents  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  infer  the 
method  followed  by  the  author,  as  the  connection  between  the  sub- 
jects discussed  in  the  same  chapter  is  not  everywhere  logically  war- 
ranted. But  here  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Mishna  was  not 
originally  intended  for  publication  in  writing,  but  for  oral  transmis- 
sion, however  inconceivable  such  an  operation  with  524  chapters, 
and  their  aggregate  of  3,829  rules,  may  appear  to  a  much  reading 
and  little  remembering  generation.  To  assist  the  memory  various 
mnemonic  artifices  were  employed,  among  which  the  association  of 
ideas  has  ever  been  the  most  approved,  and  is  at  this  day  the  most 
golden  rule  on  which  teachers  of  the  "  Art  of  Memory  ''  chiefly  de- 
pend. If,  therefore,  in  the  Mishna  or  other  compendia  of  oral  tradi- 
tions, heterogenous  subjects  are  found  strung  together,  seemingly  on 


FOK  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


395 


no  principle  whatever,  the  connecting  principle  is  in  reality  that  of 
"association  of  ideas. ' 

The  Mishna,  in  its  original  form,  became  the  text  book  at  the 
Palestinian  schools,  where  it  took  rank  before  the  several  epitomes 
of  the  tradition,  previously  known  and  henceforward  described  as 
external  Mishnas  (Boraitha)  and  Additamenta  (Tosiphta),  which 
were  afterward  accounted  to  hold  about  the  same  relation  to  the 
authoritative  Mishna  as  the  Apocrypha  did  to  the  canonical  books 
of  Scripture.  Nearly  coeval  with  the  Mishna  are  tln-ee  commentaries 
still  extant  (Sifra,  Sifri,  Mechilta)  on  j^ari  of  the  second  and  on  the 
third  further  books  of  the  Pentateuch.  In  these  works,  not  the  dis- 
cussions and  decisions  of  the  doctors,  as  in  the  Mishna,  but  the  elucida- 
tion of  the  Biblical  word  andplirase,  is  the  immediate  object  of  the 
authors.  The  Mishna  having  been  communicated  by  two  of  R.  Judah's 
immediate  disciples  to  the  schools  in  Babylonia,  among  which  three 
(at  Nehardea,  Pumbadita  and  Sura)  acquired  the  highest  reputation, 
the  same  system  of  study  in  the  two  countries  produced  two  Tal- 
muds— one  of  Jerusalem  or  Palestine,  the  other  of  Babylon. 
Toward  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  the  political  position  of  the 
Jews  in  the  Holy  Land,  under  the  rule  of  converted  Rome,  was  de- 
plorable. Fortunately  there  was  a  jolace  of  refuge  for  many  of  them 
beyond  the  Euphrates  in  the  Parthian  Empire,  which  the  scepter  of 
Rome  did  not  reach.  There  was  then  an  exodus  of  teachers  to 
Babylonia.  Palestine  abdicated  its  religious  hegemony.  The  patri- 
arch, Hillel  II.,  about  350  published  the  astronomical  rules,  by  which, 
joined  to  some  conventional  regulations,  the  annual  festivals  had 
been  proclaimed  from  the  days  of  3^ore  by  the  highest  central 
authority.  The  schools  finally  collapsed;  the  Palestinian  Talmud  was 
not  finished,  but  brought  to  a  standstill  at  Tiberias,  some  years  after 
the  reign  of  Emperor  Julian.  The  compilation  of  the  Talmud  at 
Babylon  originated  in  the  academy  of  Sura  a  full  centui'y  later  (in  the 
year  498) ;  its  latest  date  is  about  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century, 
from  which  time  onward  the  activity  of  the  Rabbis  has  been  con- 
centrated on  the  sifting  of  the  material  deposited  in  the  two  Talmuds 
and  theii'  tributai'ies;  a  whole  hbrary  exists  of  commentaries  on  the 
Gemara,  which  is  itseK  a  commentar}^  on  the  Mishna,  as  this  in  its 
turn  is  an  explanation  of  the  laws  contained  in  the  Mosaic  code. 

T. 


GEMS  FROM  CHARISI. 

I. — GRAY  HAIRS.  II. — TEARS  OF  LOVE. 


Oh,  look  !  The  ravens  black 
Which  tarried  on  my  head, 

i^eek  a  nest  within  my  heart, 
And  from  above  have  fled  ! 


Tears,  0  traitorous  tears. 
Why  did  you  reveal 

What,  deep  within  ray  heart, 
I  strove  so  to  conceal  ? 


390 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


My  heart,  it  needeth  not  to  say 
What  my  gushing  tears  display. 

III. — TO   DECEITFUL  FRIENDS. 

How     sweet   they    talk,    these    loving  I 
friends, 

How  their  tongues  deceive.  j 

So  swift  to  serve,  so  gracious  kind  j 

If  I  only  could  believe 
Their  words  of  pleasing  flattery. 
But,  soon,  too  soon,  I  find  the  lie.  ' 


Not  all  their  trickery  can  efface 
What  falsehood's  written  on  the  face  r 

IV. — (from  tachkemoni.) 

When  all  the  sages  discontinued  sing- 
ing, 

Spain's  lyre  began  to  'send  forth  its 
sound; 

When  Eastern  sons  no  more  tunes  were 
bringing, 

Then  the  singers  of  the  West  were 
found.  Dr.  Moritz  Levin. 


THE  TALMUD- 
III. 


-Continued. 


Both  Talmuds  are  incomplete  works.  Neither  of  them  extend  over 
the  six  orders  of  the  Mishna.  Perhaps  the  non-extant  orders  were 
intentionally  disregarded,  as  treating  of  subjects  then  no  longer  of 
national  importance  ;  but  this  can  hardly  be  the  true  solution,  since 
many  questions  (bearing  on  the  Temple  service,  wars  and  conquests), 
largely  discussed  in  the  Mishna  and  the  Talmud,  were  at  the  time 
practically  obsolete,  without  being  on  that  account  theoretically  neg- 
lected. Perhaps,  and  this  is  historically  proved  regarding  some 
sections,  the  missing  portions  have  been  withdrawn  from  circula- 
tion by  the  destructive  hand  of  time  ;  or  more  probably  still,  the  two 
Talmuds  were  discontinued,  rather  than  closed,  by  the  force  of  ex- 
ternal circumstances  beyond  the  control  of  those  interested  in  the 
labor.  If  ex  ungue  leonem  be  anything  like  an  arithmetical  foimula, 
the  problem  may  be  solved  of  what  the  proportions  of  the  Talmud 
would  have  developed  into  fi'om  the  fact  that  the  Babylonian  Tal- 
mud now  in  our  possession,  without  its  companion,  is  composed,  in- 
cluding the  marginal  gloss,  of  5,884  folio  jjages.  The  language  is 
the  Aramaic,  tinged  with  provincialisms  belonging  to  the  two  coun- 
tries which  produced  the  Talmuds  ;  all  quotations  fi'om  the  Mishna 
and  the  Bible  are  everywhere  in  Hebrew.  The  printed  editions, 
which,  particularl}'  of  the  Babylonian,  are  by  no  means  rare,  are  in  a 
very  unsatisfactory  condition,  owing  to  the  carelessness  or  the  ignor- 
ance of  the  editors.  Those  published  under  the  censorship  of 
Christian  ecclesiastical  authorities  were,  moreover,  purposely  muti- 
lated, or,  as  it  was  styled,  expurgated — void  spaces  being  left 
wherever  those  learned  men  fancied  to  detect  allusions  disrespectful 
to  the  State  religion.  But  all  these  passages  are  found,  with  their 
native  semblance  on,  in  editions  of  the  Talmud  published  in  Constan- 
tinople, and  they  are  now  unceremoniously  reproduced  in  Western 
and  Central  Europe ;  the  conviction  having  gained  ground  that  the 
Christianity   of  this   age   has   nothing  whatever  to   fear  fi"om   that 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  307 

quarter,  esijecially  as  it  is  far  from  probable  that  in  those  suspected 
passages  there  is  any  reference  to  Panhue  Christianity  at  all. 

Let  me  here  remark  that  the  history  of  the  rise  and  the  progress 
•of  the  Church  receives  no  light  fi-om  the  Talmudic  traditions.  The 
Mishna,  although  dating  from  the  end  of  the  second  century,  betrays 
no  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  Christianity.  How  to  account  for 
this  self-imposed  silence  is  a  matter  of  difficulty.  A  fear  of  political 
consequences  cannot  have  operated,  because  at  that  time — 200  years 
after  the  Christian  era  commenced— the  political  status  of  the  Church 
was  fully  as  depressed  as  that  of  the  synagogue.  The  Gemara,  the 
junior  of  the  Mishna  by  three  centuries,  does  not  know  the  term 
Christian  or  Christianity.  Several  controversies,  it  is  true,  are  de- 
scribed in  the  Gemara  as  having  taken  place  between  some  doctors 
of  the  law  and  some  sectarians  called  Minim,  heretics,  bearing  on  the 
right  interpretation  of  various  Mosaic  precepts.  But  the  term  min, 
heretic,  in  the  then  condition  of  Western  Asia  and  Egypt,  covers  an 
immense  variety  of  religious  divisions.  In  the  age  of  the  Talmud 
the  countries  around  the  Mediterraneazi  were  the  arena  in  which 
sects  that  had  sprung  from  Judaism,  Christianity,  Eastern  and  West- 
ern Paganism,  or  a  mixture  of  these,  fought  their  spiritual  battle. 
The  heretics  mentioned  in  the  Talmud  were,  according  to  appear- 
ance, Jews  who,  without  leaving  the  pale  of  Judaism,  had  adopted 
some  of  the  dogmas  of  Christianity  ;  such  were,  for  example,  the 
Ebionites  and  the  Nazarines.  Between  these  and  the  Pharisees 
there  was  still  common  ground  to  offer  a  scope  for  discussions  on 
matters  of  the  law  ;  but  the  Pauline  Christians,  mainly  Greeks  by 
birth,  on  whom  the  observance  of  the  Mosaic  law  was  not  obligator}^, 
were  regarded  by  the  Pharisees  as  Gentiles  to  all  intents  and  pui^poses, 
and  accordingly  as  moving  outside  of  the  Jewish  world. 

There  is  an  essential  consideration  never  to  be  lost  sight  of  in  the 
appreciation  of  the  spirit  of  Talmudism.  It  is  that  every  portion  of 
the  Talmud  is  a  compound  of  two  distinct  elements,  viz. :  the  Halacha 
rule  and  the  Hagada  saying.  The  Halacha  expresses  the  legal  de- 
cision of  the  Talmud,  and  it  was  on  this  ground  binding  on  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  law  as  long  as  and  whenever  the  Jews  exercised 
autonomy,  i.  e.,  judging  their  own  causes  in  conformity  with  their 
own  principles  of  jurisdiction. 

The  Halacha  has  been  extracted  from  the  complicated  Talmudical 
discussions,  by  a  system  of  canons,  the  application  of  which  requires 
many  years  of  study  and  practice  ;  and  the  results  of  the  Ha- 
lacha are  to  be  found  duly  classified  in  the  various  digests  of  rabbi- 
nical laws.  The  Hagada,  on  the  contrary,  is  not  invested  with  any 
legal  authority,  its  conckisions  are  obligatory  on  no  one,  and  the  in- 
terpretation of  them  is  free  and  open  to  any  one.  The  Hagada  in- 
cludes all  the  Talmudical  allegories,  parables,  hyperboles,  historical 
reminiscences,  proverbs,  popular  sayings   and  maxims  ;   ingenious 


398  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

and  touching-  applications  of  Scriptural  examples — in  short,  all  that 
tends  to  point  a  moral  or  adorn  a  tale.  The  reader  of  the  Talmud, 
who  has  no  preconceived  judgment  to  uphold,  cannot  help  being 
unequally  affected  by  the  very  mixed  character  of  its  contents.  The 
defects  of  the  Talmud  are  at  once  conspicuous.  The  Halacha  offends 
by  the  microscopic  attention  it  bestows  upon  many  questions  of  cere- 
monies and  observ'ances,  which  ought  never  to  have  occupied  the 
time  of  grave  men  clothed  with  authority  over  a  whole  people.  No 
doubt  the  tu  quoque  argument  may  be  appealed  to  against  many  an 
objector.  The  Talmudical  is  not  the  only  religious  system  in  which 
ceremonies  and  symbols  are  raised  to  an  eminence  which  the  uniniti- 
ated cannot  equally  appreciate.  The  effect,  however,  remains  the 
same  to  the  prejudice  of  the  Talmud  and  its  minutise.  The  Hagada, 
on  the  other  hand,  cannot  be  absolved  from  indulging  on  too  many 
occasions  in  undignified,  nay  gross,  exaggerations,  never  to  be  ex- 
plained away  by  a  facile  reference  to  the  Oriental  fashion  of  telling 
entertaining  tales,  or,  still  worse,  by  the  supposition  of  hidden  truths 
underlying  the  fabulous  covering,  for  that  mysterious  sublimity  is  a 
gratuitous  assumption  justified  by  no  evidence  presentable  to  com- 
mon sense.  The  only  apology  possible  is,  that  not  all  the  Hagadas 
are  liable  to  that  charge,  and  that  no  Hagada  whatever  is  looked 
upon  as  an  article  of  faith,  but  may  simply  be  taken  for  what  it  is 
worth. 

Religious  tolerance  is  not  exhibited  in  the  Talmud  to  any  greater 
extent  than  in  any  ancient  writings,  whatever  their  source.  Gen- 
uine tolerance — that  is,  a  respect  for  the  religious  opinions  of  those 
of  a  different  faith — is  a  production  of  the  most  recent  period  of 
time,  and  is  only  struggling  into  a  more  vigorous  existence.  It  has 
no  ancient,  it  has  no  modern  history;  its  glories  lie  in  the  future 
before  us.  While  the  rehgions  of  heathendom  are  condemned,  the 
largest  philantkropy  is  recommended  in  the  Talmud  toward  all 
classes  of  human  beings.  "  Feed  the  hungry  among  the  idolators," 
says  the  Talmud;  "clothe  the  naked,  mourn  with  the  bereaved,  and 
bury  the  dead,  to  the  end  that  peace  and  good-will  may  prevail 
among  all  the  families  of  man."  There  is  a  beautiful  fiction  in  the 
Hagada:  "  When  the  Egyptian  host  lay  dead  on  the  sands  of  the 
Red  Sea,  the  heavenly  choir  chanted  hymns  before  the  throne  of  the 
Almighty;  but  the  Lord  forbade  them,  saying,  'Know  ye  not  that 
the  Egyptians  are  my  children  no  less  than  the  Israelites  ?' "  The 
liberality  of  which  the  Talmudists  were  capable  manifests  itself  in 
the  good  maxim  adopted :  "  The  upright,  of  whatever  creed,  shall 
inherit  a  portion  of  the  world  to  come."  The  scientific  knowledge 
to  be  met  with  incidentally  in  the  Talmud  is  considered  by  com- 
petent judges  to  have  been  quite  on  a  par  with  the  acquirements  of 
their  Grentile  contemporaries.  There  are  Hebrew  expressions  of 
terms  in  astronomy,  such  as  planets,  comets,  the  milky  way,  the 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  39ft 

signs  of  the  Zodiac,  etc.,  a  fact  wbicli  may  be  admitted  as  a  proof 
that  the  study  of  that  science  was  indigenous  to,  or  at  least  accli- 
matized in  the  tradition.  The  peculiar  calendar  of  the  Jews,  which 
Avas  known  in  the  Tahnudic  times,  though  published  after  the  close 
of  the  Tahnud,  is  admired  by  Joseph  JuHus  Scaliger,  an  eminent 
authority,  for  the  accuracy  of  its  system,  which  will  require  no 
emendation,  will  suffer  no  perturbations  in  thousands  of  years  to 
come. 

It  is  also  believed  that  the  rational  stud)'  of  the  Talmudical  writ- 
ings, now  coming  into  cultivation,  will  add  valuable  data  to  the  his- 
tory of  medicine,  and  of  the  natural  sciences  in  Asia.  In  fact,  if 
we  remember  how  famous  the  Jewish  physicians  became  throughout 
the  middle  ages,  we  cannot  exclude  the  belief  that  a  notable  share 
of  their  knowledge  was  inherited  from  the  sages  of  Tiberias  and  of 
Sura.  The  Talmudical  standard  of  ethics  is  high.  Tnithfulness, 
purity,  humility,  temperance  without  asceticism ;  these  are  the  heads 
under  which  the  numerous  attractive  sayings  may  be  registered  that 
have  secured  a  celebrity  to  the  Talmud  among  the  learned  men  of 
all  confessions.  The  most  remarkable  treatises  of  the  Talmud  are 
those  on  jurisprudence.  I  have  no  right  to  express  an  opinion  of 
my  own  on  a  discipline  in  which  I  have  had  no  training;  but  I  con- 
fide in  the  judgment  of  such  a  man  as  Prof.  Ed.  Gans,  the  great 
Gei-man  jurist,  who  knew  the  Talmud  well.  He  says  that  no  coitus 
jurist  known  to  him  gives  evidence  of  so  much  critical  labor  and 
so  much  penetration  as  the  Talmudical  law  on  inheritance  and  suc- 
cession. I'he  procedure  in  criminal  cases  prescribed  in  the  Talmud 
is  marked  with  the  stamp  of  humanity  in  almost  every  partic- 
ular. As  a  specimen  of  the  very  advanced  ideas  entertained  by 
some  leading  teachers  of  the  tradition  on  the  subject  of  capital 
punishment,  I  will  quote,  in  conclusion,  fi-om  a  passage  of  the 
Mishna:  "A  court  that  passes  sentence  of  death  once  in  a  week  of 
years  is,  indeed,  a  pernicious  tribunal.  R.  Eleazar  added:  I  hold  it 
to  be  such,  if  it  does  so  once  in  seventy  years.  R.  Tarbon  and  R. 
Akiba  declared:  If  we  sat  in  judgment,  we  should  on  no  account 
vote  for  the  execution  of  any  criminal.  Then  R.  Simon  objected: 
Well,  these  men  would  only  increase  the  shedding  of  blood  in  the 
country."  The  discussion  is  short;  but  it  strikes  me  that  nothing 
of  any  moment  has  been  added  to  the  argument  whenever  and 
wherever  this  difficult  question  has  been  mooted  in  times  nearer 
our  own. 

There  is  in  the  Talmud  many  a  thing  to  be  rejected,  but  much 
more  to  be  respected.  The  difficult  study  of  the  traditions  of  the 
Jews  carries  with  it  a  high  intellectual  reward;  and  as  to  the  repos- 
itory of  the  tradition,  I  think  that,  for  its  breadth  and  its  depth,  for 
the  numerous  objects  of  uncommon  formation  to  be  discovered  in 
its  recesses,  and  also  for  the  dangers  it  presents  to  those  who  ven- 


400 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


ture  on  it  without  an  accurate  compass,  it  has  truly  been  called  the 
Talmudical  Ocean.  Peof.'  T.  Theodores. 


Pkof.  T.  Theodores,  professor  at  Owen  College,  Manchester,  England;  a  man  of  letters 
and  of  great  research,  and  as  philologist  he  has  gained  an  eminent  name. 


Dialectic— Logic,  the  art  of  reasoning. 
Medieval -Relating  to  the  middle  ages. 
Paragon — A   model,   a  pattern,    something 
txcellent. 
Seriatim — In  regular  order. 
.Mnemonic— Assisting  the  memory. 
Epitome— Abridgement. 
Apocrypha— Books  added  to  the  Scriptures. 
Coeval— Of  the  same  age. 


Hegemonic  -Ruling,  princiiial. 

Hyperbolic — Exaggerating  or  extenuating 
beyond  fact. 

MiNUTia;— Trifles,  trifling  points 

Zodiac — The  track  of  the  sun  through  the 
twelve  signs. 

Perturbation — Disorder,  confusion. 

Ascetic — Employed  wholly  in  devotion, 
mortification.  ' 


JEPHTHAH'S 

(Judg. 
She  stood  before  her  father's  gorgeous 
tent, 
To  listen  for  his  coming. 

I  have  thought 
A  brother's  and  a  sister's    love    was 

much, 
I  iinow  a  brother's  is,  for  I  have  loved 
A   trusting   sister  ;    and  I  know  how 

broke 
The  heart  may  be  with  its  own  tender- 
ness. 
But  the  affection  of  a  delicate  child 
For  a  fond  father,  gushing  as  it  does 
With  the   sweet  springs   of    life,   and 

living  on 
Through  all  earth's  changes, 
Must  be  holier ! 

The  wind  bore  on 

The  leaden  tramp  of  thousands.  Clar- 
ion notes 

Rung  sharply  on  the  air  at  intervals  ; 

And  the  low,  mingled  din  of  mighty 
hosts, 

Returning  from  the  battle,  poured 
from  far, 

Like  the  deep  murmur  of  a  restless  sea. 

•Jephthah  led  his  warriors  on 
Through   Mizpeh's  streets.      His   helm 

was  proudly  set, 
And  his  stern  lip  curled  slightly,  as  if 

praise 
Were  for  the  hero's  scorn.     His  step 

was  firm, 
But  free  as  India's  leopard  ;  and   his 

mail. 


DAUGHTEE. 

xi :  29:) 

Whose   shekels   none  in    Israel  might 

bear, 
Was  lighter  than  a  tassel  on  his  frame. 
His  crest  was  Judah's   kingJiest.  and 

the  look 
Of  his  dark,  lofty  eye  might  quell  a 

lion. 

He  led  on;  but  thoughts 

Seemed  gathering  round  which  troubled 
him.     The  veins 

Upon  his  forehead  were  distinctly  seen, 

And  his  proud  lip  was  painfully  com- 
pressed. 

He  trod  less  firmly;  and  his  restless 
eye 

Glanced  forward  frequently,  as  if  some 
ill 

He  dared  not  meet,  were  there.  His 
home  was  near. 

And  men  were  thronging,  with  that 
strange  delight 

They  have  in  human  passions,  to  ob- 
serve 

The  struggle  of  his  feelings  with  his 
pride. 

He  gazed  intently  forward. 

A  moment  more, 
And  he  had  reached  his  home  ;   when 

lo  I  there  sprang 
One  with  a   bounding  footstep,  and  a 

brow 
Like  light,  to  meet  him.  Oh,  how  beaoti- 

ful! 
Her  dark  eye,  flashing  like   a   sun-lit 

gem. 
And    her  luxuriant  hair,   twas  like  the 

sweep 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


401 


Of  a  swift  wing  in  visions.  He  stood 
still, 

As  if  the  sight  had  withered  him.  She 
threw 

Her  arms  about  his  neck;  he  heeded 
not. 

She  called  him  "Father,''  but  he  an- 
swered not ; 

■She  stood  and  gazed  upon  him.  Was 
he  wroth  ? 

There  was  no  anger  in  that  blood-shot 
eye. 

Had  sickness  seized  him?  She  un- 
clasped his  helm, 

And  laid  her  white  hand  gently  on  his 
brow. 

The  touch  aroused  him.  He  raised  up 
his  hands. 

And  spoke  the  name  of  God,  in  agony. 


She  knew  that  he  was  stricken  then 
and  rushed 

Again  into  his  arms,  and  with  a  flood 

Of  tears  she  could  not  stay,  she  sobbed 
a  prayer 

That  he  would  tell  her  of  his  wretched- 
ness. ■" 

He  told  her,  and  a  momentary  flush 

Shot  o'er  her  countenance  ;  and  then 
the  soul 

Of  Jephthah's  daughter  wakened,  and 
she  stood 

Calmly  and  nobly  up,  and  said  :  "Tis 
well  ; 

And  I  will  die  !" 

And  when  the  sun  had  set, 
Then  she  was  dead — but  not  by  vio- 
lence. Adapted. 


PEARLS  FROM  THE  TALMUD. 

The  Talmud  is  the  work  which  embodies  the  civil  and  canonical 
law  of  the  Jewish  people ;  that  it  consists  of  the  Mishna,  or  text, 
and  the  commentary,  or  Gemara;  that  its  contents  have  reference 
not  merely  to  religion,  but  also  to  philosophy,  medicine,  history, 
jurisprudence  and  the  various  branches  of  joractical  duty;  that  it  is, 
in  fact,  a  law  civil  and  criminal,  national  and  international,  human 
and  divine,  forming  a  kind  of  supx)lement  to  the  Pentateuch — a 
supplement  such  as  it  took  1,000  years  of  a  nation's  life  to  produce; 
and  that  it  is  not  merely  a  duU  treatise,  but  it  apjoeals  to  the  imagi- 
nation and  the  feelings,  and  to  all  that  is  noblest  and  purest;  that 
between  the  rugged  boulders  of  the  law  which  bestrew  the  path  of 
the  Talmud  there  grow  the  blue  flowers  of  romance  and  poetry,  in 
the  most  catholic  and  Eastei-n  sense — if  we  say  this,  what  more 
need  be  said?  Parable,  tale,  gnome,  saga — its  elements  are  taken 
from  heaven  and  earth;  but  chiefly  and  most  lovingly  from  the 
human  heart  and  from  Scripture,  for  every  verse  and  every  word  in 
this  latter  became,  as  it  were,  a  golden  nail  upon  which  it  hvmg  its 
gorgeous  tapestries.  But  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose 
that  the  poet's  cunning  had  been  at  work  in  the  Talmud.  It  was 
only  his  heart.  The  chief  feature  and  charm  of  its  contents  lay  in 
their  utter  naivete.  Taken  up,  as  they  ajjpear,  at  random,  and 
told  in  their  simple,  unartistic,  unconscious  form,  they  touch  the 
soul.  But  nothing  could  be  much  more  distressing  than  to  attempt 
to  take  them  out  of  their  antique  garb  and  to  press  them  into  some 
kind  of  modern  fashionable  dress;  or  worse  still,  to  systematize  and 
methodize  them.  It  would  be  as  weU  to  attempt  to  systematize  the 
songs  of  the  bird  in  the  wood,  or  a  mother's  parting  blessing.  He 
had,  however,  to  endeavor  to  reproduce  a  portion  of  the  contents  of 

PART  III.— 26. 


402  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

the  Talmud  in  their  own  vague  sequence  and  phraseology;  and  he 
should  coniine  himself  almost  to  smaller  productions,  as  parables,, 
apophthegms,  allegories  and  the  like  minute  things,  which  were 
most  characteristic,  and  required  little  explanation. 

The  fundamental  law  of  all  human  and  social  economy  in  the 
Talmud  was  the  utter  and  absolute  equality  of  men.  It  was  pointed 
out  that  man  was  created  alone — not  more  than  one  at  different 
times,  lest  one  should  say  to  another,  "  I  am  of  the  better  or  earher 
stock."  And  it  failed  not  to  mention  that  man  was  created  on  the 
last  day,  and  that  even  the  gnat  was  of  more  ancient  Hneage  than 
man.  In  a  discussion  which  arose  among  the  doctors  as  to  which 
was  the  most  important  passage  in  the  whole  Bible,  one  pointed  to 
the  verse,  "  And  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  The  other 
contradicted  him  and  pointed  to  the  words,  "And  these  are  the 
generations  of  man" — not  black,  not  white,  not  great,  not  small — 
but  man. 

Or,  again,  they  pointed  out  the  words,  '"And  these  are  the  ordi- 
nances by  which  men  shall  live  " — not  the  priests  or  the  Levites,  but 
men.  The  law  given  on  Mount  Sinai,  the  masters  said,  though  em- 
phaticaUy  addressed  to  one  people,  belongs  to  ail  humanity.  It  was 
not  given  in  any  king's  land,  not  in  any  city  or  inhabited  spot,  lest 
the  other  nations  might  say,  "We  know  nothing  of  it."  It  was 
given  on  God's  own  highv\'ay,  in  the  desert — not  in  the  darkness  and 
stillness  of  night,  but  in  plain  day,  amid  thunder  and  lightning. 
And  why  was  it  given  on  Sinai  ?  Because  it  is  the  lowliest  and 
meekest  of  the  mountains— to  show  that  God's  spirit  rests  only  ujDon 
them  that  are  meek  and  lowly  in  their  hearts.  The  Talmud  taught 
that  rehgion  was  not  a  thing  of  creed  or  dogma,  or  faith  merely, 
but  of  active  goodness.  Scripture  said,  "  Ye  shall  walk  in  the  words 
of  the  Lord."  "But  the  Lord  is  a  consuming  fire,  how  can  men 
walk  in  His  way  ?"  "  By  being,"  they  answered,  "  as  He  is — merciful, 
loving,  long-suffering.  Mark  how  on  the  first  page  of  the  Penta- 
teuch God  clothed  the  naked — Adam;  and  on  the  last  He  buried  the 
dead — Moses.  He  heals  the  sick,  fi-ees  the  caj)tives,  does  good  to 
His  enemies,  and  He  is  merciful  both  to  the  living  and  to  the  dead.'' 
In  close  connection  with  this  stood  the  relationship  of  men  to  their 
neighbors — chiefly  to  those  beyond  the  pale  of  creed  or  nationaility. 
The  Talmud  distinctly'  and  strongly  sets  its  face  against  proselytism. 
pronouncing  it  to  be  even  dangerous  to  the  commonwealth.  There 
was  no  occasion,  it  said,  for  conversion  to  Judaism,  as  long  as  a 
man  fulfilled  the  seven  fundamental  laws.  Every  man  who  did  so 
was  regarded  as  a  believer  to  aU  intents  and  purposes.  It  even 
went  so  far  as  to  caU  every  righteous  man  an  Israelite.  Distinct  in- 
junctions were  laid  down  with  regard  to  proselytes.  They  were  to 
be  discouraged  and  warned  off  and  told  that  the  miseries,  privations 
and  persecutions  which  they  wished  to  take  uj)on  themselves  were 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  403 

unnecessary,  inasmuch  as  all  men  were  God's  children,  and  might 
inherit  the  hereafter ;  but  if  they  persisted  they  were  to  be  received, 
and  were  to  be  ever  afterward  treated  tenderly.  They  illustrated 
this  by  a  beautiful  parable  of  a  deer  coming  from  the  forest  among 
a  flock  of  sheep,  and  being  driven  off  at  night,  and  the  gate  shut 
against  it,  but  being  after  many  trials  at  length  received  and  treated 
with  more  tenderness  than  the  sheep.  Next  stood  reverence  both 
for  age  and  youth.  They  pointed  out  that  not  merely  the  tables  of 
the  law  which  Moses  brought  down  the  second  time  fi-om  Sinai,  but 
also  those  which  he  broke  in  his  rage,  were  carefully  placed  in  God's 
tabernacles,  though  useless.  Reverence  old  age.  But  all  their  most 
transcendental  love  was  lavished  on  children.  All  the  verses  of 
Scripture  that  spoke  of  flowers  and  gardens  were  applied  to  children 
and  schools.  "  Do  not  touch  mine  anointed  ones,  and  do  my 
prophets  no  harm."  "  Mine  anointed  ones  "  were  school  children, 
and  "  my  prophets  "  their  teachers. 

The  highest  and  most  exalted  title  which  they  bestowed  in  their 
poetical  flights  upon  God  himself  was  that  of  "Pedagogue  of  Man." 
There  was  drought,  and  the  most  pious  men  prayed  and  wept  for 
rain,  but  none  came.  An  insignificant  looking  person  at  length 
prayed  to  Him  who  caused  the  vdnd  to  blow  and  the  rain  to  fall, 
and  instantly  the  heavens  covered  themselves  with  clouds  and  the 
rain  fell.  "  Who  are  you,"  they  cried,  "  whose  prayers  alone  have 
prevailed?"  And  he  answered,  "I  am  a  teacher  of  little  children."' 
When  God  intended  to  give  the  law  to  the  people  He  asked  them 
whom  they  would  offer  as  their  guarantee  that  they  would  keep  it 
holy,  and  they  said  Abraham.  God  said,  "Abraham  has  sinned;  Isaac, 
Jacob,  Moses  himself — they  have  all  sinned;  I  cannot  accept  them." 
Then  they  said,  "May  our  children  be  our  witnesses  and  our  guaran- 
tees." And  God  accepted  them,  even  as  it  is  written,"  From  the  mouths 
of  the  wee  babes  has  He  founded  His  empire."  Indeed,  the  relation- 
ship of  man  to  God  they  could  not  express  more  pregnantly  than  by 
the  most  familiar  words  which  occurred  from  one  end  of  the  Talmud 
to  the  other,  "  Our  Father  in  heaven." 

Another  simile  was  that  of  bride  and  bridegroom.  There  was 
once  a  man  who  betrothed  himself  to  a  beautiful  maiden  and  then 
went  away,  and  the  maiden  waited  and  waited  and  he  came  not. 
Friends  and  rivals  mocked  her  and  said,  "He  will  never  come." 
She  went  into  her  room  and  took  out  the  letters  in  which  he  had 
promised  to  be  ever  faithful.  Weeping  she  read  them  and  was 
comforted.  In  time  he  returned,  and  inquiring  how  she  had  kept 
her  faith  so  long,  she  showed  him  his  letters.  Israel  in  misery,  in 
captivity,  was  mocked  by  the  nations  for  her  hopes  of  redemption; 
but  Israel  went  into  her  schools  and  synagogues  and  took  out  the 
letters,  and  was  comforted.  God  would  in  time  redeem  her  and  say, 
"How  could  you  alone  among  all  the  mocking  nations  be  faithful  ?" 


404  SCnOOL  AND  FAJVIILY  READER 

Then  Israel  would  jDoint  to  the  law  and  answer,  "  Had  I  not  youi* 
promise  here  ?  " 

Next  to  women  angels  were  the  most  frequent  bearers  of  some  of 
the  sublimest  and  most  ideal  notions  of  the  Talmud.  "  Underneath 
the  wings  of  the  Seraphim,"  said  the  Talmud,  "  are  stretched  the 
arms  of  divine  mercy,  ever  ready  to  receive  sinners."  Every  word 
that  emanated  from  God  Avas  transformed  into  an  angel,  and  every 
good  deed  of  man  became  a  guardian  angel  to  him.  On  Friday 
night,  when  the  Jew  left  the  synagogue,  a  good  angel  and  a  bad 
angel  accompanied  him.  If,  on  entering  the  house,  he  found  the 
table  spread,  the  lamp  lighted,  and  his  wife  and  children  in  festive 
garment,  ready  to  bless  the  holy  day  of  rest,  the  good  angel  said : 
"May  the  next  Sabbath  and  the  following  ones  belike  unto  this; 
peace  unto  this  dwelling — peace !  "  and  the  bad  angel,  against  his 
will,  was  compelled  to  say:  "Amen."  If,  on  the  contrary,  every- 
thing was  in  confusion,  the  bad  angel  rejoiced  and  said:  "Maj^  all 
your  Sabbaths  and  week  days  be  like  this;"  while  the  good  angel 
wept  and  said  "Amen."  According  to  the  Talmud,  when  God  was 
about  to  create  man,  great  clamoring  arose  among  the  heavenly  host. 
Some  said:  "Create,  O  God,  a  being  who  shall  praise  Thee  on 
earth,  even  as  we  sing  Thy  glory  in  heaven."  Others  said:  "O 
•God,  create  no  more !  man  will  destroy  the  glorious  harmony  which 
Thou  hast  set  on  earth,  as  in  heaven."  Of  a  sudden  God  turned  to 
the  contesting  host  in  heaven,  and  deep  silence  fell  upon  them  all. 
Then  before  the  throne  of  glory  there  appeared  bending  the  knee 
the  Angel  of  Mercy,  and  he  prayed:  "O  Father,  create  man.  He 
will  be  Thine  own  noble  image  on  eaiih.  I  will  fill  his  heart  with 
heavenly  pity  and  sympathy  toward  aU  creatvires ;  they  will  praise 
Thee  through  him."  And  there  appeared  the  Angel  of  Peace  and 
wept:  "O  God,  man  will  disturb  Thine  own  peace.  Blood  wiU  flow; 
he  will  invent  war,  confusion,  hon'or.  Thy  place  wiU  be  no  longer  in 
the  midst  of  all  Thy  earthly  works."  The  Angel  of  Justice  cried: 
"  You  will  jvidge  him,  God !  He  shall  be  subject  to  my  law,  and  peace 
shall  again  find  a  dwelling-place  on  earth."  The  Angel  of  Truth 
said:  "  Father  of  Truth,  cease;  with  man  you  create  jthe  lie."  Out 
oi  the  deep  silence  then  was  heard  the  divine  word:  "You  shall 
go  with  him;  you,  mine  own  seal,  Truth;  but  you  shall  also  remain 
a  denizen  of  heaven ;  between  heaven  and  earth  you  shall  float,  an 
everlasting  link  between  both." 

The  question  was  asked  in  the  Talmud,  why  children  were  born 
with  their  hands  clenched,  and  men  died  with  their  hands  wide 
open;  and  the  answer  was  that  on  entering  the  world  man  desired 
to  grasp  everything,  but  when  he  was  leaving  it  all  slipped  away. 
Even  as  a  fox  which  saw  a  fine  vineyard  and  lusted  after  its  grapes,  but 
was  too  fat  to  get  in  through  the  only  opening  there  was,  until  he 
had  fasted  three  days.     He  then  got  in,  but  having  fed  he  could  not 


FOR  TUE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


405 


get  out  until  he  had  fasted  three  days  more.  "  Poor  and  naked  man 
enters  the  world;  poor  and  naked  does  he  leave."  To  women  the 
Talmud  ascribed  all  the  blessings  of  the  household.  From  her 
emanated  everything  noble,  wise  and  true.  It  had  not  words  enough 
to  impress  man  with  the  absolute  necessity  of  getting  married.  Not 
only  was  he  said  to  be  bereaved  of  j)eace,  joy,  comfoi-t  and  faith 
without  a  wife,  but  he  was  not  even  called  a  man.  "  Who  is  best 
taught?"  it  asked;  and  the  answer  is,  "He  who  has  leai'ned  first 
fi'om  his  mother." 

These  few  remarks  prove  as  it  were  but  a  drop  in  a  vast  ocean  of 
Talmud — that  strange,  wild,  weird  ocean,  with  its  leviathans,  and  its 
wrecks  of  golden  argosies,  and  with  its  forlorn  bells  that  send  up 
their  dreamy  sounds  ever  and  anon,  while  the  fisherman  bends  upon 
his  oar,  and  starts  and  listens,  and  perchance  the  tears  may  come 
into  his  eyes.  Emanuel  Deutsch. 


Db.  Emakuel  Deutsch,  born  1829,  and  died  1873.  A  Jewish  savant  of  great  renown,  for- 
merly Librarian  of  the  British  Museum,  London,  a  writer  of  great  note,  of  which  his  articles 
in  the  "Quarterly  Review"  gained  him  a  world-wide  reputation.  He  was  for  fifteen  year?. 
Librarian,  an  extensive  contributor  to  "Chambers'  EncyclopaBdia,"  also  to  "Smith's  Dictionary 
of  the  Bible,"  and  to  "Kitto's  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature."  He  was  a  person  of  pious  and 
amiable  disposition,  and  endeared  by  both  Jews  and  Christians. 


Cr\'iL — Relating  to  the  community,  politi- 
cal; not  foreign. 

Canonical— Fixed  by  ecclesiastical  laws  ; 
spiritual. 

Catholic— Universal,  used  for  true  in  oppo- 
sition to  heretical. 

Saga— Compositions  which  comprise  the 
history  and  mythology  ot  the  northern  Euro- 
pean nations. 


Naivete — Unaflected  plainness. 
To  Methodize — To  regulate. 
Sequence — Order  of  succession. 
Apophthegm — A  remarkable  saying. 
Transcendental — General,  supereminent . 
Leviathan^A     large     water-animal    men- 
tioned in  the  book  of  Job. 
Argosy — A  large  vessel. 


A  LETTER  FROM  JUDAH  HA-LEVI  TO  HIS  FRIEND  ISAAC. 


FROM    THE    GERMAN    OF    DR.    GEIGER. 


But  yesterday  the  earth  drank  Hke  a 
child 
With  eager  thirst  the  autumn  rain. 
Or  like  a  wistful   bride  who  waits  the 
hour 
Of  love's  mysterious  bliss  and  pain. 
And  now  the  spring  is  here  with  yearn- 
hig  eyes; 
'Midst    shimmering    golden     flower 
beds 
On  meadows  carpeted  with  varied  hues. 

In  richest  raiment  clad,  she  treads. 
She  weaves  a  tapestry  of  bloom  o'er 
all, 
And    myriad-eyed   young  plants  up- 
spring. 
White,  green  or  red,  like  hps  that  to  the 
mouth 
Of  the  beloved  one  sweetly  cling. 


Whence  come  these  radiant  tints,  these 
blended  beams  ? 
Here's  such  a  dazzle,  such  a  blaze. 
As  though  earth   stole  the  splendor  of 
the  stars. 
Fain  to  eclipse  them  with  her  rays. 
Come  !  go  we  to  the  garden  Avith  our 
wine, 
Which  scatters  sparks  of  hot  desire,, 
Within  our  hand  'tis  cold,  but  in  our 
veins 
It  flashes  clear,  it  glows  Hke  fire. 
It  bubbles  sunnily  in  earthen  jugs. 
We  catch  it  in  the  crystal  glass, 
Then    wander  through   cool,    shadowy 
lanes  and  breathe 
The  spicy  freshness  of  the  grass. 
While  we  with  happy  hearts  our  circuit 
keep, 


406 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


The  gladness  of  the  earth  is  shown, 
She  smileth,  though  the  trickling  rain- 
drops weep 
Silently  over  her,  one  by  one. 
She  loves  to   feel   the  tears  upon  her 
cheek, 
Like  a  rich  veil,  with  pearls  inwove, 
Joyous  she  listens  when  the  swallows 
chirp, 
And  warbles  to  her  mate,  the  dove. 
Blithe  as  a   maiden  'midst  the  young 
green  leaves, 
A   wreath   she'll    wind,   a    fragrant 
treasure; 
All  living  things  in   graceful    motion 
leap, 
As  dancing  to  some  merry  measure. 
The  morning  breezes  rustle  cordially. 
Love's  thirst  is  sated  with  the   balm 
they  send, 


Sweet  breathes  the  myrtle  in  the  frolic 
wind. 
As   though   remembering  a    distant 
friend. 
The  myrtle  branch   now  proudly  lifted 
high. 
Now  whispering  to    itself  drops  low 
again. 
The    topmost  palm-leaves   rapturously 
stir. 
For  all  at  once  they  hear  the  bird's 
soft  strain. 
So  stirs,   so   yearns    all    nature  gayly 
decked, 
To  honor  Isaac  with  her  best  array. 
Hear'st  thou  the  word  ?    She  cries — I 
beam  with  joy. 
Because  with  Isaac  I  am  wed  to-day. 

Emma  Lazarus. 


THE  TALMUD  JEW. 
I. 

If  one  asks  a  student  to-day  why  he  studies,  at  once,  in  spite  of 
his  youth,  he  will  give  a  very  practical  answer  ;  one,  too,  that  is 
everywhere  intelligible  —while  he  mentions  the  profession  for  which 
he  is  preparing  himself,  and  through  which  he  will  obtain  a  lucra- 
tive office,  or  a  comfortable  position  in  life. 

It  is  entirely  different  with  the  Jew  of  the  Talmud,  or  with  him 
who  expended  his  time  and  powers,  his  zeal  and  care,  on  the  study  of 
the  Talmud.  He  wished  to  derive  no  benefit  and  no  profit  from  his 
studies,  not  to  use  them,  as  a  Mishna  teacher  says,'  as  a  spade  to 
dig  for  treasures,  or  as  a  crown  to  shine  before  the  eyes  of  his  neigh- 
bors. Pure  love  of  the  law,  of  its  humane  statutes  and  wise  prin- 
ciples, which  are  explained,  widened,  and  deepened  in  the  Talmud  ; 
warm  enthusiasm  for  Judaism,  which  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of 
richly  talented  Talmud  sages  made  the  subjects  of  intellectual  labor, 
and  to  know  which  they  sacrificed  the  greatest  portion  of  their 
lives  ;  it  was  this  which  impelled  the  Talmud  disciples  to  slake 
their  thirst  at  the  fonts  of  Palestine  and  Babylon.  "Say  not," 
exclaims  the  Talmud,'  "  I  will  study  the  Scripture  and  the  explana- 
tions of  its  teachers,  in  order  that  people  may  praise  me  as  a  Chaham 
or  sage,  as  a  rabbi  or  master,  but  study  from  pure  love  to  God,  and 
to  bind  thyself  closely  to  him  through  the  knowledge  and  under- 
standing of  His  word.  Love,  not  reward,  love  of  truth  ;  let  this  be 
the  word  of  redemption,  when  thou  sittest  at  the  feet  of  the  masters 
of  the  law." 

What  an  ideality  developed  and  was  fostered  in  the  heaiis  of  the 
Jewish  people ! 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  407 

Day  and  ni»lit  did  tliey  bury  themselves  in  the  study  of  sec- 
tions and  subjects  which  had  nothing  to  do  with  social  life,  with 
money  and  gain  ;  they  became  engrossed  in  the  investigation  of 
laws  for  offerings  and  purification,  although  these  had  long  since 
gTown  obsolete  ;  they  wished  nothing  but  knowledge,  truth,  under- 
standing, illumination. 

Where  is  there  another  people  on  eai'th,  among  whom  studies 
which  aimed  only  at  instruction  and  development  of  the  spiritual 
life  were  cultivated,  with  such  piu'e,  devoted  and  self-sacrificing  love 
as  in  Israel  ? 

And  this  incomparable  ideality  in  learning  and  research  produced 
an  ideal  devotion  for  teaching  and  instruction  without  money  and 
without  price,'  wholly  out  of  love  and  enthusiasm  for  the  difl^ision 
of  the  holy  word  and  religious  truth. 

Sweet  and  suggestive  sounds  the  saying  of  the  Talmud,  which  is 
despised  by  the  malicious  :  "  See,"  it  says,^  "  there  are  studies  which 
are  ice-cold,  without  soul-warmth  and  without  love — these  are  those 
whose  object  is  not  self- ennobling  and  the  instruction  of  others,  but 
only  selfish  purposes.  Opposed  to  such  are  those  studies  which 
seek  and  wish  nothing  but  truth  and  knowledge,  and  their  diffusion ; 
these  are  studies  of  love,  love  to  God  and  thy  neighbor  " — the  real 
and  genuine  studies  in  the  Talmudic  sense.  Who  dares  censure 
the  Talmud  Jews  for  covetousness,  and  accuse  them  of  having  sus- 
ceptibility and  understanding  only  for  the  tangible  material  goods 
of  life?  Talmud  means  study,  in  order  to  teach  pure  teaching, 
unselfish  teaching  for  its  own  sake,  to  eni'ich  the  intellect,  to  increase 
the  understanding  and  to  enlarge  the  world  of  ideas. 


1.  Pirke  Aboth   i,  45.  I  3.  Bekhoroth  29. 

■2.  Nedarim  62.  4.  Subkah  49. 


II. 

BY  WHOM   WAS    THE   TALMUD   STUDIED  ? 

Not  by  a  single  class  or  one  portion  of  the  people,  but  by  men 
who  were  blessed  with  the  greatest  wealth,  as  well  as  by  those  who 
possessed  nothing  but  the  desire  of  knowledge  and  the  ability  to 
work  ;  by  persons  who  rejoiced  in  bodily  freshness  and  strength  ;  by 
those  who  were  weak  and  suffering  ;  by  impetuous  youth  and  sober 
age.'  All  I'efreshed  themselves  at  the  springs  which  the  noblest 
and  best  in  Israel  have  dug,^  and  which  rejuvenated  and  strength- 
ened their  intellects  for  centuries. 

If  we  review  the  long  list  of  masters  and  disciples  of  the  Talmud, 
we  find  among  them,  in  all  lands  and  in  every  century,  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  the  noble  and  the  humble,  emulating  each  other  in  love, 
zeal,  and  devotion  for  those  studies  which  are  discussed  in  the  Tal- 
miud  ;  so  that  there  is  scarcely  a  second  work  in  the  literature  of  any 


408  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

people  which  can  boast  of  so  large  a  number  of  choice  friends  and 
investigators.     Let  me  mention  just  a  few  of  them. 

There  is  E.  Eleasar  ben  Harsom,  who  inherited  from  his  father 
great  wealth  by  land  and  sea,  and  who  sought  everywhere  teachers 
and  inquirers  of  the  law,  in  order  to  hear  them  and  satisfy  his  thirst 
for  knowledge.' 

There  is,  again,  E.  Elieser  ben  Hp'kanos,  whose  father  belonged 
to  the  richest  men  of  his  time,  but  whom  riches  did  not  satisfy.  He 
secretly  left  his  fathers  home,  to  be  taught  by  distinguished  teach- 
ers, studied  with  the  severest  privations,  and  later  became  so 
renowned  that  he  received  the  name  of  "  Ark  of  the  Covenant,"  and 
"the  Great."  Yes,  indeed,  such  are  the  genuine  great  in  Israel ;  not 
the  men  of  the  sword  and  the  battlefield,  but  the  men  of  knowledge. 

Eleasar  ben  Asarj^a,  who  came  of  distinguished  ancestry,  was  so 
wealthy  that  he  paid  yearly  twelve  thousand  calves  in  tithes,  and 
gave  rise  to  the  proverb  :  "  He  who  has  seen  Eleasar  ben  Asarya  in 
a  dream  can  expect  great  riches."  He  displayed  the  greatest  zeal 
for  the  diffusion  of  Talmudic  studies,  and  encouraged  and  educated 
numerous  young  men,  or,  as  the  Talmud  says  :^  "  On  the  day  when 
this  master  began  his  lectures,  it  was  necessary  largely  to  increase 
the  number  of  benches  in  the  hall  of  instruction." 

There  is  E,  Judah,  the  collector  of  the  Mishna,  who  sifted, 
arranged,  and  j^ublished  the  observations  and  law-principles  of  his 
j)redecessors.  He  jjossessed  such  wealth  that  it  was  said  of  him: 
"  The  rabbi's  hostler  is  richer  than  King  Shapur."°  After  his  death, 
the  saying  spread  :  "  Since  the  days  of  Moses,  there  has  been  no 
man  in  Israel  who  so  united  learning  and  greatness  as  R.  Judah  the 
Holy."" 

E.  Abbahu,  of  Caesarea,  was  a  man  of  dazzling  beauty,'  of  high 
repute  in  coiirt  circles,  and  so  wealthy  that  he  had  seats  of  ivory  in 
his  house.  Yet  he  was  a  diligent  student,  and  promoter  of  Tal- 
mudic lore  ;  and  like  Eav  Ashi,  the  codifier  of  the  Mishna,  he  was 
distinguished  by  his  wealth  and  erudition.* 

Five  hundred  years  later,  Samuel  Hanagid,  a  Jewish  minister  of 
the  Spanish  King  Habus,  not  only  had  charge  of  foreign  affairs  and 
the  department  of  war,  but  was  a  Talmud  Jew,  and  gave  Talmudic 
lectures  as  well,  collected  disciples  around  him,  and  exchanged  let- 
ters on  Halachic  themes  with  scholars  and  congregations  of  his  time. 
We  possess  fragments  of  an  introduction  to  the  Talmud,  written  by 
Samuel  Hanagid,  and  many  Hebrew  poems,  among  which  those  are 
especially  to  be  noted  which  he  composed  in  his  tent  before  a  vic- 
tory, and  wherein  he  assured  God  that  he  kept  strictly  Sabbaths 
and  festivals  as  a  true  adherent  of  Judaism. 

These  will  siiffice  as  examjDles  of  wealthy  Talmud  Jews.  Let  us 
turn  to  the  poverty-stricken  ones,  of  whom  Ilillel  will  serve  as  a 
specimen.     He  was  so  poor  that  he  supported  himself  by  splitting 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  409 

wood,  but  became  so  illustrious  a  master  through  his  unwearying 
patience  in  learning  and  teaching,  his  winning  ways,  his  kindness 
toward  Jew  and  heathen,  and  his  love  of  peace,  that  the  teachers  of 
his  day  paled  in  comparison,  and  his  decisions,  with  few  excejjtions, 
have  been  accepted  for  all  time  as  laws  in  Israel.  And  who  could 
recount  the  poor  youths  who  in  the  course  of  centuries  devoted 
themselves  to  Talmudic  studies  with  never-wearying  diligence  and 
the  greatest  privations?  From  their  midst  arose  the  teachers  in 
Israel  whose  names  history  gloriously  preserves.  The  Talmud 
justly  observes  :  "  Be  careful  in  the  treatment  of  the  poor  ;  for  the 
best  and  most  important  men  of  the  law,  or  the  most  celebrated 
Talmud  Jews,  came  from  their  ranks."*  This  advice,  and  other 
oft-repeated  exhortations  to  value  those  who  cultivated  Talmudic 
studies,  were  always  cherished  in  Israel,  even  to  our  time,  which, 
with  the  neglect  of  Jewish  knowledge,  has  ceased  to  revere  men  of 
Jewish  knowledge.  In  every  community  there  were  Talmud  schools, 
Talmud  teachers  and  disciples  ;  a  pious  and  ideal  rivah-y  arose  in 
teaching  and  learning  ;  the  men  of  Talmudic  sj)irit  represented 
the  nobility  in  the  niidst  of  the  people,  while  the  saying  was 
heard,"  "The  men  of  intellect  are  choice  and  guiding  princes, 
who  by  their  ideas  lead  and  direct  people."  The  remark,  too 
was  handed  down :"  "  Hillel  testifies  against  the  poor,  Eleasar 
ben  Harsom  against  the  rich."  Say  not,  I  am  too  jDoor,  must 
provide  for  my  living,  and  cannot  mount  the  ladder  of  knowl- 
edge. Look  at  HiUel,  one  of  the  wisest  among  the  wise,  who, 
despite  his  poverty,  shines  like  a  sun  in  the  Talmud  sky.  Say 
not  with  noble  mien  :  I  am  rich,  have  the  most  flattering  con- 
nections, know  the  first  men  of  the  city,  have  no  room  in  my 
palace  for  Hebrew  books,  no  time  for  Hebrew  studies.  Look 
at  Eleasar  ben  Harsom.  Numerous  cities  belonged  to  him,  his 
ships  in  great  number  sailed  the  seas,  and  still  he  journeyed 
without  show  and  escort,  to  seek  out  in  diflerent  places  the 
masters  of  the  law. 

The  Talmud,  to  employ  Cicero's  words,  w^as  not  only  the  "  nour- 
ishment of  youth,  the  delight  of  age,  ornament  in  prosperity,  com- 
fort and  refuge  in  misfortune,"  but  it  developed  and  preserved  a 
sense  for  the  ideal,  spiritual,  and  invisible  in  Israel's  midst,  unique 
in  the  history  of  nations.  Young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  land  own- 
ers and  artisans,  physicians,  astronomers,  and  philosophers,  sons  of 
wealthy  families,  and  men  of  the  humblest  classes,  were  true,  perse- 
vering, and  inspired  students  of  the  Talmud,  without  expecting  or 
attaining  any  profit  or  earthly  advantage.  Their  highest  reward 
was  the  joy  of  learning,  the  conflict  of  truth,  the  applause  of  the 
sages,  the  reverence  of  the  people,  among  whom  was  the  saying,  '■'^ 
"Israel  is  whoUy  impoverished  and  abandoned  to  the  bitterest 
want  among  its  foes,  only  when  the  schools  of  the  law  are  desolate," 


410  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

or  when  the  ideal  sentiment,  which  elevates  above  need  and  afflic- 
tion, has  vanished. 

The  places  where  the  Talmud  was  studied  and  taught  were  schools 
of  temperance,  self-control,  and  self-ennoblement,  of  joyful  and  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  to  an  ideal  intellectual  life,  which  is  entirely 
neglected  in  our  material  age  and  among  our  practical  youth.  A 
true  and  genuine  Talmud  disciple  was  called  a  disciple  or  fi'iend  of 
wisdom  ;  he  loves  God,  loves  all  his  fellow-men,  loves  truth;"  his 
kingdom  is  the  kingdom  of  peace. 


1.  Rambam,  HUl,  T.  T., 

2.  Numb.  xxi.  18. 

3.  Yoma9,  a,  35.  b. 
i.  Berakhoth  28,  a. 

5.  Shab.  113,  b. 

6.  Gittin  59,  a. 

7.  Kethuboth  17. 


8.  Gittin  59,  a. 

9.  Nedarim  81,  s 

10.  Shab.  119,  b. 

11.  Yoma  35,  b. 

12.  MekhlltaSl. 

13.  Perek  46. 


III. 

"  When  Moses,"  so  lectured  once  a  Talmud  sage,^  "was  about  to 
write  down  the  section,  '  let  us  make  man  in  our  image,'  he  became 
grave,  paused,  and  asked:  'O  Lord,  will  not  these  words  give  cause 
for  misunderstandings  and  false  interpretation?  Will  not  some 
maintain  a  plurality  of  gods  on  account  of  the  little  word  "  we,"  and 
others  represent  Thee  with  human  traits  ?  Will  it  not  suffice  if  on 
the  first  day  of  creation  I  only  write,  "  And  God  spoke  :  let  man 
exist ;  and  he  existed  ? ' " 

"'  Write  what  thou  hast  received,  O  Moses,"  thundered  the  rejjlyj 
'  even  if  some  misunderstand  it.  It  is  so  important  that  man  per- 
ceives and  feels  that  he  is  a  heavenly-earthly  creation,  the  noblest  in 
my  likeness,  adorned  with  the  highest  excellence,  destined  to  gaze 
upward  to  God  alone  as  ideal  and  pattern,  in  order  to  become  ever 
better  and  more  perfect  through  development  and  progress ;  this  is 
so  important  that  these  words  should  never  be  suppressed  out  of 
regard  for  the  weak  and  erring.'  " 

Did  Moses  really  so  ask,  and  did  God  thus  answer  him  ?  No  ; 
for  no  one  could  listen  to  such  a  conversation.  It  is  only  a  mode  of 
speech  popular  among  the  Talmudists,  who  love  to  dress  weighty 
truths  in  the  garb  of  a  dialogue,  so  as  to  impress  more  powerfully  ; 
and  surely  here  is  a  subject  of  supreme  imporiance.  Yes,  it  is 
important  for  the  princes  of  the  spirit  and  the  leaders  of  nations  to 
read  and  to  hear  that  great,  sublime,  and  civilizing  truths  should 
not  beweakened  or  suppressed,  and  taught  only  as  mysteries  to  a 
few  disciples,  fi-om  fear  lest  hundreds  or  thousands  among  millions 
might  misinterpret  them  and  work  mischief  with  them,  or  in  anx- 
ious doubt  whether  the  proper  time  has  arrived  for  their  dissemina- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  411 

tion.     God  is  truth,  His  zeal  is  truth,  His  law  is  truth,  and   His 
chosen  spirits  are  messengers  of  truth. 

In  the  same  way  some  famous  Jews  answered  the  Roman  philoso- 
phers. They  asked,  "  If  your  God  denounces  polytheism  and  image- 
worship,  why  does  he  not  destroy  the  whole  idolatrous  world  ? " 
"  Shall  the  world  go  to  ruin  on  account  of  the  fools  ?"  they  replied. 
"  The  nations  deify  the  sun,  moon  and  stars:  shall  these  therefore 
cease  to  give  light  V  No.  The  beautiful  world  continues  on  in  its 
regular  course.  The  sun  beams,  the  moon  shines,  the  stars  glitter, 
and  the  fools  who  worship  sun  and  moon  will  one  day  be  called  to 
account." 

And  we  exclaim  to  those  who  wish  to  sacrifice  the  Talmud,  the 
work  of  centuries  and  numerous  gifted  men  :  Shall  it  be  destroyed 
and  disappear  on  account  of  the  fools  who  misu.nderstanfl  and  mis- 
use it?  No.  After  the  Bible,  the  Talmud  is  the  most  important 
and  comprehensive  poiiion  of  our  old  literature  ;  the  archives  of  our 
rehgious  histor}^,  the  record  of  sagacious  law  proceedings,  the 
treasure- chamber  of  golden  rules  of  life  and  precious  sayings  of  deep 
wisdom  and  lofty  morality:  we  wish  to  preserve,  study,  investigate, 
value  the  Talmud ;   let  the  fools  continue  theii"  work  of  folly. 

Yes,  we  preserve  the  Talmud  and  respect  its  saying  ^  that  States 
go  to  ruin  when  hate  and  enmity  are  nourished  among  their  people. 
Hence,  w^e  will  be  Talmud  Jews  and  loyal  citizens,  holding  oui'selves 
far  from  those  who  destroy  peace  and  imity  in  our  fatherland,  and 
thereby  weaken  its  strength. 

We  preserve  the  Talmud  and  guide  ourselves  by  its  rule  of  life  :^ 
Who  is  reverent  or  a  "  Reverend  ?  "  Not  every  one  who  wears  a 
clerical  gown  and  talks  in  sanctimonious  tones,  but  he  who  honors 
his  fellow-men,  does  not  revile,  disgrace,  ridicule  and  injure  them. 

We  i^reserve  the  Talmud  and  learn  from  it  *  that,  in  days  and  sea- 
sons of  need,  we  shall  think  of  the  Jewish  as  weD  as  non-J  ewish 
poor,  and  give  them,  with  lavish  hand,  food,  raiment  and  fuel. 

We  preserve  the  Talmud  and  give  heed  to  its  sharp  admonition,* 
that  he  who  raises  the  poisonous  tongue  of  scandal  not  only  against 
a  whole  religious  society,  but  even  against  a  single  individual,  and 
scatters  malicious  reports,  is  an  atheist,  who  denies  the  God  of 
truth  and  of  knowledge  ;  the  God  who  demands  just  scales,  not  alone 
for  articles  of  merchandise  but  for  the  worth  and  character  of  a 
man  or  a  race.  You  bewail  the  decline  of  faith  :  who  can  believe 
in  a  God  whose  servants  preach  hatred,  oppression,  persecution, 
while  their  slanderous  tongues  ever  agitate  against  peaceful 
citizens  ?  '^ 

We  preserve  the  Talmud,  and  comfort  ourselves  with  its  declara- 
tion '  that  "  the  evil  eye,"  or  envy,  cannot  injure  us  if  we  perform 
our  duty,  discharge  our  obligations  to  all  men,  and  fulfill  the  com- 
mandments of  love.     Joseph  was  exposed  to   the  jealousy  of  his 


413 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


brothers,  and  yet  he  triumphed  in  the  end  as  a  man  of  peace,  of 
love,  and  of  reconciliation. — Jewish  Messenger.  A.  Zellinek. 


1.  Beresh  Kabba  83. 

2.  Yoma  9. 

3.  PirkeAboth. 

4.  Gittin  61. 


5.  Erakbin  16. 

6.  Ante-Semites. 

7.  Berakhoth  21. 


JAEL. 

(Judg:  IV.) 


"  0  Barak,  I  came  forth  to  meet  thee 

With  tidinjjs  of  joy; 
Thou  art  mighty,  0  Barak,  in  battle, 

And  strong  to  destroy, 
But  he  whom  thou  seekest  so  hotly 

Was  met  with  a  kiss, 
Hath  escaped  from  thy.strength  and  thy 
vengeance ; 

And  I  have  done  this. 

"  Nay,  frown  not,  and  say  that  I  mock 
thee; 

And  thou  by  his  side, 
I  know  thee,  fierce  Deborah — curl  not 

Thy  lips,  nor  deride 
The  wit  of  a  woman,  thou  art  one, 

But  come  to  my  tent, 
1  will  show  how  he  passed  from  thy 
vengeance; 

'Twas  this  way  he  went. 

"  Yea,  enter;  now  wait  till  the  sunlight 

Hath  passed  from  your  eyes; 
Till  ye  see  through  the  gloom  of  the 
tenting 
Where  Sisera  lies; 
Nav,  lay  not   the  hand  to  the  sword- 
'  kilt- 
He  cannot  arise. 

"  I  heard  the  great  clamor  toward  Kis- 
hon. 
When  he  who  lies  here 
Came  wounded  and  breathless  with  run- 
ning, 
And  cried  out  in  fear: 
'  They  have  smitten  the  armies  of  Hazor, 
I  flee  for  my  life; 


I  am  weary  and  wounded;  oh,  woman; 

And  mother  and  wife. 
As  thou  lovest  thy  children,  but  grant 
me 

For  one  night  to  lie 
In  thy  tent,  for  my  mother  who  watcheth 

Will  die  if  1  die. 
There  is  peace  between  Heber  thy  hus- 
band 

And  Jabin  the  king; 
As  thy  guest  may  I  enter  thy  dwelling  '^ 

Will  thou  grant  me  this  thing '  ? 

"  Then  1  knew  him,  and  bade  him  full 
welcome 
To  all  that  was  mine; 
'  As  I  am  a  mother,'  I  told  him, 

'  I  sorrow  for  thine.' 
Then  I  bound  up  his  wounds,  as  I  did 
so 
Pretending  to  weep; 
Till  comforted,  weary  and  wasted, 

He  fell  fast  asleep. 
Then  took  I  the  hammer  and  tent-pin, 

I  crept  to  his  side. 
And  I  thought  of  the  mother  who  watch- 
ed for 
The  wheels  of  her  pride. 
But  the  cause  was  the  Lord's  and  I 
smote  him — 
Thus  Sisera  died. 

"  Thou  art  sad;  wouldst  thou  alter,  O 

The  way 'that  he  fell  .' 
But  Deborah's  smile  gives  a  token — 
It  was  well." 

Overland  Monthly. 


THE  EELIGION  OF  ISRAEL. 

The  Old  Testament,  1  suppose  nobody  will  deny,  is  filled  with 
the  word  and  thought  of  righteousness  "  In  the  way  of  righteous 
uess  is  life,  and  in  the  pathway  thereof  is  no  death";  "Righteous 


FOR  THE  USB  OP  ISRAELITES.  413 

ness  tendetli  to  life  "  ;  "  The  wicked  man  troiibletb  his  own  flesh  "  ; 
"The  way  of  the  transgi-essor  is  hard."  Nobody  will  deny  that  these 
texts  may  stand  for  the  fundamental  and  ever-recurring  idea  of  the 
Old  Testament.  No  people  ever  felt  so  strongly  as  the  people  of  the 
Old  Testament,  the  Hebrew  people,  that  conduct  is  three-fourths  of 
our  life  and  its  largest  concern;  no  people  ever  felt  so  strongly  that 
succeeding,  going  right,  hitting  the  mark  in  this  great  concern, 
was  the  way  of  j^^cLce,  the  highest  possible  satisfaction.  "He  that 
keepeth  the  law,  happy  is  he;  its  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and 
all  its  paths  are  peace ;  if  thou  hadst  walked  in  its  ways  thovi  shouldst 
have  dwelt  in  peace  forever!  "  Jeshurun,  one  of  the  ideal  names  of 
their  race,  is  the  upright;  Israel,  the  other  and  greater,  is  the  ivrestlet- 
with  God,  he  who  has  known  the  contention  and  strain  it  costs  to 
stand  upright.  That  mysterious  personage,  by  whom  their  history 
first  toviches  the  hill  of  Zion,  is  Melchizedek,  the  righteous  king;  their 
holy  city,  Jerusalem,  is  the  foundation  or  vision  or  inheritance  of  that 
righteousness  which  was  such  an  object  of  attention  to  them  that 
its  words  were  to  "  be  in  their  heart,  and  thou  shalt  teach  them 
diligently  unto  thy  children,  and  thou  shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou 
sittest  in  thy  house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when 
thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up."  To  keep  them  ever 
in  mind,  they  wore  them,  went  about  with  them,  and  made  talis- 
mans of  them.  "Bind  them  upon  thy  fingers,  bind  them  upon 
thy  neck;  write  them  uj^on  the  table  of  thine  heart  !"  "Take  fast 
hold  of  her,''  they  said  of  the  doctrine  of  conduct,  or  righteousness; 
"  let  her  not  go  !     Keep  her,  for  she  is  thy  life .'"  .... 

Philosophers  dispute  whether  moral  ideas,  as  they  call  them,  the 
simplest  ideas  of  conduct  and  righteousness  which  now  seem  in- 
stinctive, did  not  all  grow,  were  not  once  inchoate,  embryo,  dubious, 
unformed;  that  may  have  been  so;  the  question  is  an  interesting- 
one  for  science.  But  the  interesting  question  for  conduct  is  whether 
those  ideas  are  unformed  or  formed  noiv;  they  are  formed  now,  and 
they  were  formed  wlien  the  Hebrews  named  the  jDower,  out  of  them- 
selves, which  pressed  upon  their  sj^irit  :  The  Eternal  Probably  the 
life  of  Abraham,  the  friend  of  God,  however  imperfectly  the  Bible 
traditions  by  themselves  convey  it  to  us,  was  a  decisive  step  for- 
ward in  the  develoj)ment  of  these  ideas  of  righteousness.  Probably 
this  was  the  moment  when  such  ideas  became  fixed  and  solid  for  the 
Hebrew  people,  and  marked  it  permanently  off  from  all  others  who 
had  not  made  the  same  step.  But  long  before  the  first  beginnings  of 
recorded  history,  long  before  the  oldest  word  of  Bible  literature, 
these  ideas  must  have  been  at  work;  we  know  it  by  the  result,  al- 
though they  may  have  for  a  long  while  been  but  rudimentary.  In 
Israel's  earliest  history  and  earliest  literature,  under  the  name  of 
Eloah,  Elohim,  The  Mighty,  there  may  have  lain  and  matured,  there 
did  lie  and  mature,  ideas  of  Ood,  more  as  a  moral  power,  more  as  a 


414  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

power  connected  above  everything  with  conduct  and  righteousness, 
than  were  entertained  by  other  races;  not  only  can  we  judge  by  the 
result  that  this  must  have  been  so,  but  we  can  see  that  it  was  so. 
Still  their  name,  The  Mighty,  does  not  in  itself  involve  any  true  and 
deep  rehgious  ideas,  any  more  than  our  name,  The  Brilliant.  "With 
The  Eternal  it  is  otherwise.  For  what  did  they  mean  by  the  Eternal; 
the  Eternal  what  ?  The  Eternal  cause  ?  Alas!  these  poor  people  were 
not  Archbishops  of  York.  They  meant  the  Eternal  righteous,  who 
loveth  righteousness.  They  had  dwelt  upon  the  thought  of  conduct 
and  right  and  wrong,  till  the  not  ourselves,  which  is  in  us  and  around 
us,  became  to  them  adorable  eminently,  and  altogether  as  a  power 
which  makes  for  righteousness;  which  makes  for  it  unchangeably  and 
eternally,  and  is  therefore  called  The  Eternal. 

There  is  not  a  particle  of  metaphysics  in  their  use  of  this  name  any 
more  than  in  their  conception  of  the  not  ourselves  to  which  they 
attached  it.  Both  came  to  them,  not  fi'om  abstruse  reasoning,  but 
fi'om  experience  in  the  plain  region  of  conduct.  Theologians  with 
metaphysical  heads  render  Israel's  Eternal  by  the  self-existent,  and 
Israel's  not  ourselves  by  the  absolute,  and  attribute  to  Israel  theii' 
own  subtleties.  According  to  them  Israel  had  his  head  full  of 
the  necessity  of  a  first  cause,  and  therefore  said  The  Eternal; 
as,  again,  they  imagine  him  looking  out  into  the  world,  noting 
everywhere  the  marks  of  design  and  adaptation  to  his  wants, 
and  reasoning  out  and  inferring  thence  the  fatherhood  of  God.  All 
these  fancies  come  from  an  excessive  turn  of  reasoning,  and  a  neg- 
lect of  observing  men's  actual  course  of  thinking  and  way  of  using 
words.  Israel,  at  this  stage  when  The  Eternal  was  revealed  to  him,  in- 
ferred nothing,  reasoned  out  nothing.  He  felt  and  experienced. 
When  he  begins  to  speculate  in  the  schools  of  Rabbinism,  he  quickly 
shows  how  much  less  native  talent  than  the  Bishops  of  Winchester 
and  Gloucester  he  has  for  this  perilous  business. 

Happily,  when  The  Eternal  was  revealed  to  him,  he  had  not  yet  be- 
gun to  speculate.  He  personified,  indeed,  his  Eternal,  for  he  was 
strongly  moved,  and  an  orator  and  poet.  "Afan  never  knows  how 
anthrojjoinorphic  he  is,"  says  Goethe,  and  so  man  tends  alwaj^s  to 
represent  everything  under  his  own  figure.  In  poetry  and  eloquence 
man  may  and  must  follow  this  tendency,  but  in  science  it  often  leads 
him  astray.  Israel,  however,  did  not  scientifically  predicate  person- 
alty of  God;  he  would  not  even  have  had  a  notion  what  was  meant 
by  it.  He  called  him  the  maker  of  all  things,  who  gives  di'ink  to  all 
out  of  his  pleasures  as  out  of  a  river;  but  he  was  led  to  this  by  no 
theory  of  a  first  cause.  The  grandeur  of  the  sjDcctacle  given  by  the 
world,  the  grandeur  of  the  sense  of  its  all  being  not  ourselves,  being 
above  and  beyond  ourselves,  and  immeasurably  dwarfing  us,  a  man 
of  imagination  instinctively  personifies  as  a  single  mighty  living  and 
productive   power,  as  Goethe  tells  us  that  the  words  which  rose 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


415 


naturally  to  his  lips,  when  he  stood  on  the  to])  of  the  Brocken, 
were,  "  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou  mindest  him,  or  the  son  of 
man,  that  thou  makest  account  of  him  ?  "  But  Israel's  confessing 
and  extolling  of  this  power  came  not  even  from  his  imaginative 
feeling,  but  came  first  from  his  gratitude  for  righteousness.  To  one 
who  knows  what  conduct  is,  it  is  a  joy  to  l)e  alive;  the  not  ourselves, 
which  by  revealing  to  us  righteousness  makes  our  happiness,  adds  to 
the  boon  this  glorious  world  to  be  righteous  in. 

That  is  the  notion  at  the  bottom  of  the  Hebrew's  praises  of  a 
Creator;  and  if  we  attend,we  can  see  this  quite  clearly.  Wisdom  and 
understanding  mean  for  Israel.  "  The  fear  of  the  Eternal,"  and  the 
fear  of  the  eternal  means  for  him  "to  depart  from  evil,''  righteousness. 
Righteousness,  order,  conduct,  is  for  him  the  essence  of  The  Eternal, 
and  the  source  of  all  man's  happiness;  and  it  is  only  as  a  further  and 
natural  working  of  this  essence  that  he  conceives  creation.  "The  fear 
of  the  Eternal,  that  is  wisdom ;  and  to  depart  from  evil,  tliat  is  under- 
standing !  Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom,  and  the  man 
that  getteth  understanding  !  She  is  a  tree  of  life  to  them  that  lay 
hold  upon  her,  and  happy  is  every  one  that  retaineth  her.  21ie 
Eternal  by  ivisdom  hath  founded  the  earth,  by  vnderstanding  hath  He  stah- 
hlished  the  heavens  " — and  so  the  Bible  wi'iter  passes  into  the  account 
of  creation.  It  all  comes  to  him  from  the  idea  of  righteousness.  — 
From  "Literature  and  Dogma."  Peof.  Arnold. 


To  Inchoate — To  begin,  to  commence. 
Metaphysic— A  science  ;  in  Shakesijeare  it 
means  supernatural  or  preternatural. 


Abstruse— Hidden,  difficult. 
ANTHEOPOMOKPHi«M--Representing  tlie  Deity 
as  having  human  form  or  attributes.     (Gr.) 


THERE  IS 

There  is  no  death  !  The  stars  go  down 
To  rise  upon  some  fairer  shore  ; 

And  bright,  in  heaven's  jeweled  crown, 
They  shine  forevermore. 

There  is  no  death.     The  dust  we  tread 
Shall   change   beneath   the  summer 
showers ; 

The  golden  grain,  or  mellow  fruit, 
Or  rainbow-tinted  flowers. 

The  granite  rocks  disorganize. 

And  feed  the  hungry  moss  they  bear  ; 

The  forest  leaves  drink  daily  life 
From  out  the  viewless  air. 

There  is  no  death  !  The  leaves  may 
fall, 

And  flowers  may  fade  and  pass  away; 
They  only  wait  through  wint'ry  hours 

The  coming  of  May-day. 


NO  DEATH. 

There  is  no  death  !     An  angel  form 
"Walks  o'er  the  earth  with  silent  tread , 

And  bears  our  best-loved  things  away, 
And  then  we  call  them  "dead."' 

He  leaves  our  hearts  all  desolate, 
He  plucks  our  fairest,  sweetest  flow- 
ers; 

Transplanted  into  bliss,  they  now 
Adorn  immortal  bowers. 

The  bird-like  voice,  whose  joyous  tones 
Made  glad  these  scenes  of  sin  and 
strife. 

Sings  now  an  everlasting  song. 
Around  the  tree  of  life. 

Where'er  he  sees  a  smile  too  bright, 
Or  heart  too  pure  for  taint  and  vice. 

He  bears  it  to  that  world  of  light. 
To  dwell  in  Paradise. 


416  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


Born  unto  that  undying  life, 

They  leave  us  but  to  come  again  ; 

With  joy  we  vvelcome  them,  the  same, 
Except  their  sin  and  pain. 


And  ever  near  us,  though  unseen, 
The  dear  immortal  spirits  tread  ; 

For  all  the  boundless  universe 
Is  life — there  is  no  dead  ! 

BuLWER  Lytton. 


Sir  Edward  George  Earle  Bulwer  Lytton  (generally  known  by  his  original  name  of 
Bulwer),  one  of  the  most  popular  and  distinguished  writers  of  England,  was  born  in  1805, 
and  educated  at  the  University  of  Cambridge.  He  is  the  author  of  a  large  number  of  novels, 
plays,  poems  and  miscellanies. 


JUDAISM   AND   SCIENCE. 

My  labors  in  the  liistorv  of  botany  necessarily  caused  me  to  see 
the  works  of  Albrecht  the  Great.  His  relations  to  Thomas  of 
Aquino,  his  dependence  ujDon  Aristotle  and  Arabian  writers,  brought 
near  to  me  the  qiiestion  of  the  interposition  of  these  investigators 
and  of  earlier  sources  The  investigation  brought  me  continually 
further,  and  at  last  caused  me  to  become  aware  of  a  circumstance 
which  our  great  works  of  history  pass  over  in  silence,  and  yet  which 
is  of  extraordinary  importance  to  the  history  of  the  development  of 
mankind.    The  following  contains  a  brief  view  of  what  I  have  found. 

The  Jews  are  and  wdll  remain  the  most  remarkable  people,  and 
if  we  admit  the  symbol  of  a  providence,  one  may  call  them  "  God's 
chosen  people."  They  furnish  one  of  the  most  interesting  subjects 
for  earnest  and  thoughtful  historical  examination,  not  only  because, 
despite  the  severest  and  bloodiest  persecutions  by  Pagans,  Persians, 
Mohammedans  and  Christians,  they  have,  for  nearly  two  thousand 
years  and  up  to  the  present  day,  maintained  themselves  as  a  people 
and  been  true  to  their  original  character,  but  because  they  con- 
tinually expand  and  increase  in  every  climate  and  under  conditions 
more  favorable  than  those  surrounding  any  other  people.  They  are 
the  oldest  people  supporting  monotheism,  and  who,  because  of  the 
purity  of  the  belief  in  God,  have  established  and  adhered  to  moral 
laws,  whose  effect  in  life  is  the  true  demonstration  of  rehgious  belief. 
All  Europe  had  its  middle  age — a  period  of  barbarity,  of  intel- 
lectual and  moral  degradation;  we  cannot  imagine  it  to  have  been 
worse,  only  the  Jews  were  excepted  therefi'om. 

Notwithstanding  dispersion  and  oppression,  which  often  robbed 
them  of  the  simplest  human  rights — yes,  of  the  right  to  live — they  de- 
veloped their  intellectual  life  uninterrupted  to  the  end  of  the  middle 
ages,  and  j^reserved  and  gave  to  the  other  people  the  foundation  of 
morality  and  spiritual  life.  They  sometimes  stumbled,  after  the 
manner  of  spiritually  noble  minds,  when  happy  moments  made  life 
too  easy;  but  reverses  and  calamities,  which  barely  allowed  them  to 
live,  had  only  this  result:  to  ennoble  them,  and  to  spur  them  on  to 
higher  intellectual  and  spiritual  exertions. 

The  devastation  of  the  Jewish  State  by  the  Assyrians  and  Baby- 
lonians caused  the  Jews  to  comprehend  their  own  spiritual  being, 
and  to  unite  the  results  of  their  previous  spiritual  life   into   one 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  417 

entirety,  which,  even  at  the  present  time,  contains  so  mnch  that  is 
deemed  elevating  and  holy  by  Christians.  They  stamjjed  the  boon 
thus  won  upon  their  lives.  Unshaken  trust  in  God,  and  moral  con- 
duct, as  far  as  the  same  was  recognized  by  them  as  a  duty,  gave 
them  the  power  of  enthusiasm  with  which  this  little  nation  main- 
tained for  centuries  the  fight  with  the  gigantic  Roman  empire, 
Avhose  exertions  against  them  were  greater  than  that  exercised 
toward  any  nation  of  similar  size.  The  heroism  of  the  Jews  dis- 
played by  the  Maccabees  during  the  conflict  which  ended  in  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus,  at  the  two  years'  war  under  Bar- 
Kochba,  and  later,  their  defence  of  Naples  against  Belisarius,  and 
the  passes  of  the  Pyrenees  against  the  Franks,  place  them  with  the 
greatest  heroes  known  to  history.  They  succumbed  to  enormous 
physical  superiority;  the  nation,  as  such,  was  destroyed;  the  people 
dispersed  all  over  the  globe,  from  China  and  India,  through  Africa 
and  Europe,  unto  the  remotest  western  regions  then  discovered. 

But  the  people  remained  one  people,  continued  to  maintain  an 
unbroken  connection  among  all  its  branches,  and  always  recognized, 
in  the  progress  of  moral  and  spiritual  life,  a  center  that  bound  them 
together.  Wherever  the  Jew  wandered,  he  found  men  of  the  same 
faith,  the  same  mind,  and  was  sure  of  receiving  practical  assistance 
and  a  cordial  welcome.  These  circumstances  are  to  be  considered, 
inasmuch  as  they  made  easy  the  diffusion  of  intellectual  activity  and 
its  results  among  the  entire  people.  Thus  we  find  that,  during  the 
gloomy,  intellectually  barren  and  rotten  middle  ages,  the  Jews  pro- 
moted, the  same  as  in  times  of  yore,  agriculture,  manufactures, 
dying,  weaving,  and  other  trades  and  occupations  that  contributed 
to  the  commerce  and  welfare  of  the  world.  We  have  seen  that,  with 
uninterrupted  intellectual  activity,  they  cultivated  all  the  sciences, 
developed  them,  and  then  handed  them  over,  at  the  end  of  the  mid- 
dle ages,  to  the  nations  at  last  arising  fi-om  ignorance.  They  are 
the  founders  of  the  science  of  philosophy.  Opposed  to  the  ignorance 
and  stupidity  of  the  Christian  clergy,  they  were  the  only  ones  pro- 
moting a  thorough  and  fruitful  knowledge  of  the  Oriental  and  Oc- 
cidental languages ;  they  were  the  only  nation  with  whom  a  fi'ee 
develoj)ment  of  intellectual  activity  in  philosoph}',  and  especially 
religious  philosophy,  found  room,  and  vsdio  built  up  ethics  as  no 
other  nation  has  done.  Only  with  them  was  to  be  found  a  scien- 
tific cultivation  and  development  of  the  medical  art;  they  partici- 
pated in  the  progress  of  astronomy ;  they  established  the  celebrated 
schools  of  Mont2:)elier  and  Salerno,  and  materially  contributed  to  the 
l)rosperity  of  the  school  of  Padua.  A  few  years  after  the  invention 
of  printing,  they  possessed  printing  houses  in  many  towns.  Ribeyra 
de  Santos  well  says:  "We  are  chiefly  indebted  to  the  .lews  for  the 
first  knowledge  of  philosophy,  botany,  medicine,  astronomy  and 
cosmography,  as  w^ell  as  the  elements  of  grammar  and  the  holy  lan- 

PART  III. — 27 


418 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


guage,  and  for  almost  all  the  studies  connected  with  Biblical  litera- 
ture." Prof.  M.  J.   Schleiden. 


CosMOGBAPHY — The  science  of  a  greneral  system  of  the  world. 


THE  TWENTY-NINTH  PSALM. 

A    PARAPHRASE. 

AscRTBE     unto    God,    0    sons   of    the    The    mountain  is  cleft  by  His  mighty 
mighty,  i  power, 

Ascribe    unto    God    His    glory    and  '      The  flash  of  the  lightning  destroyed 
might ;  |  by  His  will  ; 

Ascribe  unto  God  His  glorious  power,     i  The  wild  deer  in  terror  flies  deep  in  the 
Sing  to  Him,  worship  Him.  morning  forest. 

and  night.  And  Kadesh  is  shaken  from  vallev  t'^ 

hill. 
The  voice  of  the  Lord  resounds  in  the 


surges. 

Echoes  through  ocean's  most  fathom- 
less caves  ; 
In  thunder  and  storm,  in  anger  we  hear 
it, 

While  oft'times  in  zephyrs  it  ripples 
the  waves. 

The  voice  of  the  Lord   rends  forests 
asunder, 
The  cedars  of  Lebanan  bend  to  the 
sound ; 
While  leafless  and  riven,  the  monarch 
of  ages, 
Crushed  by  His  thunders,  lies  scat- 
tered around. 


The  Lord  is  enthroned,  and  ever  hath 
been, 
Enthroned  at  the  deluge,  and   ever 
shall  be  ; 
Dispensing  to  all  His  mercy  and  kind- 
ness, 
W^ith  infinite  wisdom,  no  human  may 
see. 

The  Lord  will  give  strength  to  all  who 
obey  Him, 
And  thro'  His  great  mercy  shall  virtue 
increase  ; 
Fulfilling  the  promise  given  on  Zion, 
The  Lord  will  then   bless    all    His 
people  with  peace.  .L  M. 


REMAKKS  ON  JUDAISM. 

Judaism  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  religions  of  the  world;  it  is  four 
thousand  years  old.  During  that  period  it  has  naturally  came  in 
contact  with  the  most  powerful  and  intellectual  nations  both  in  mod- 
ern and  ancient  times  ;  it  has  come  also  into  collision  with  some 
reUgious  systems  and  civilizations,  which  it  has  contributed  its  share 
toward  forming.  On  some  of  these  religions  it  has  impressed  its 
stamp,  and  the  Jewish  religion  was  one  which  was  well  calculated  to 
excite  the  attention  of  those  nations  with  which  it  came  into  con- 
tact. It  is  a  religious  system  which  has  survived  the  shocks  which 
laid  low  the  rehgious  system  of  nations  much  more  powerful  than 
the  Jews,  and  possessing  advantages  superior  to  theirs.  What  is 
more  is  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Jewish  lawgiver  that  it 
should  arouse  the  attention  of  surrounding  nations,  as  can  be  proved 
by  numerous  texts  from  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  In  these  Scrip- 
tures we  find  all  the   elements  of  a  missionary  people;  but   I   do 


FOR  THE  USE  OP  ISRAELITES.  419 

not  say  a  "  conversioiiist "  people ;  there  is  a  vast  difference 
between  the  two.  Our  mission  was  not  to  send  out  messengers  and 
apostles,  but  it  was  to  be  discharged  by  deeds  and  practices  of  such 
a  natiu-e  as  to  strike  the  imagination  and  to  impress  the  mind.  Tlie 
prophets  developed  it  still  more. 

At  a  later  period  we  find  expositions  presented  to  the  Gentile 
world  by  the  Jews  for  making  them  acquainted  with  the  history  and 
j)riiiciples  of  the  institutions  of  Moses.  They  were  not  composed 
for  Jews,  and,  therefore,  they  were  not  written  in  Hebrew,  but  in 
the  languages  which  were  the  most  AA-idely  understood.  Philo  and 
Josephus  wrote  in  Grreek,  and  the  first  translation  of  the  Book  of 
Moses — the  Septuagint — was  also  in  Greek.  These  expositions  had 
their  influence,  for  soon  after  their  appearance  we  find  proselytes  to 
Judaism  in  the  large  cities  belonging  to  the  Roman  and  Grecian 
Empires.  We  know  from  Rabbinical  writings,  and  from  the  Gos- 
pels, that  proselytes  existed  at  Antioch,  at  Damascus,  at  Rome  itself, 
and  various  other  cities;  and  these  proselytes  formed  the  actual 
nucleus  of  a  subsequent  religion.  These  expositions  had  a  gTeat 
influence  on  mankind,  and  on  the  current  literature  of  the  day. 
The  New  Testament  itself  may  be  considered  as  such  an  exposition, 
for  it  was  vnitten  by  Jews,  and  it  was  not  intended,  except  by  the 
Apostle  Paul,  to  form  a  new  religion.  The  writings  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  we  place  by  themselves  ;  of  the  others  I  may  say  that  a  Jew 
reading  their  writings  must  consider  that  he  is  reading  fi-om  the 
Tahnud — the  style  is  the  same,  but  the  aspect  of  Judaism  is  quite 
different. 

In  tracing  the  development  of  Judaism,  I  have  four  thousand 
yeai's  to  traverse,  and  1  find  four  convenient  epochs  in  which  to  di- 
vide that  time:  First,  fi-om  Moses  to  Ezra  the  scribe;  second,  from 
Ezra  to  the  destiaiction  of  the  second  temple  ;  third,  from  the  de- 
struction of  the  second  temple  to  the  time  of  Moses  Mendelsohn, 
which  took  place  in  1786  ;  andfoiii-th,  from  1786  to  our  own  period. 
At  the  first  period  we  see  what  I  may  call  the  tramework  of  Juda- 
ism. The  institutions  of  Judaism  did  not  take  root  at  once  in  the 
popular  mind.  For  some  time  they  floated  in  a  religious  atmos- 
phere; they  waited  for  a  season  until  the  ground  should  be  prepai'ed 
for  them  to  drop  into  and  strike  root.  This  favorable  season,  this 
congenial  soil,  did  not  appear  until  after  Ezra.  From  Moses  to  Ezra 
was  simply  the  inception  of  Judaism.  The  second  period  was  the 
period  for  the  consolidation  or  ciy stall ization  of  Judaism  ;  it  was 
then  that  it  struck  root  in  the  heaiis  of  the  people  and  brought  forth 
fruit.  But  the  moment  Judaism  was  systematized,  the  moment 
efforts  were  made  to  carry  out  the  institutions,  differences  of  opinion 
arose,  and  with  them  discord.  There  were  three  principal  sects  : 
the  Sadducees,  the  Pharisees,  and  the  Essenes.  The  Sadducees 
were  the  old  Tories  of  the  Jews;  they  would  not  admit  of  the  neces- 


4M  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

sity  of  any  change.  The  Pharisees  were  those  who  felt  the  change 
of  the  times,  and  were  ready  to  yield  to  them  ;  to  allow  ancient  in- 
stitutions to  fall  and  to  establish  new  ones.  The  Essenes  were  the 
mystics  of  Judaism  ;  they  were  fond  of  allegorizing  ;  they  retired 
from  the  world,  and  withdrew  into  sacred  places.  The  Sadducees 
disappeared  under  the  new  regime  inaugurated  by  the  Romans  ; 
they  could  breal^  but  they  could  not  yield.  They,  however,  re- 
appeared under  the  name  of  the  Karaites.  The  Essenes  vanished, 
finding  a  more  congenial  soil  and  atmosphere  in  the  new  Christian 
sect  which  had  risen.  The  third  period  was  one  of  martyrdom. 
The  fourth  period  was  one  of  regeneration.  The  Jews  woke  up  as 
from  a  trance,  and  found  they  had  been  isolated  from  the  world 
around  them.  They  felt  the  necessity  of  harmonizing  with  those 
around  them  ;  they  had  peculiar  notions  of  their  own,  and  they  felt 
the  necessity  of  conformity.  The  efifoi-ts  they  made  and  the  failures 
which  followed  form  the  religious  and  intellectual  history  of  modem 
Judaism. 

There  are  three  features  I  shall  notice  in  the  Jewish  character. 
First  of  all,  he  considered  himself  part  and  parcel  of  the  Divine 
scheme  ;  secondly,  his  courage  in  distress,  as  he  conceived  the  idea 
that  he  covild  not  perish,  since  he  was  necessary  in  the  world  ;  and 
thirdly,  his  pride,  and  this  pride  arose  from  the  self-consciousness 
that  he  was  necessary  to  the  Deity  in  His  providential  government 
of  the  world.  The  first  and  second  features  were  harmless  enough, 
but  the  third  led  him  into  trouble,  as  it  provoked  antagonism.  This 
antagonism  was  shown  in  ancient  literature,  which  has  had  its  in- 
fluence even  in  our  own  days.  One  writer  had  a  fling  at  Josephus  ; 
Cicero  had  his  fling  against  the  Jews,  and  Tacitus,  the  great  his- 
torian, misrepresented  them.  Hatred  to  the  Jews  arose  from  this 
period.  The  ancient  Sclavonic  tribes  had  no  jsrejudices  against  the 
Jews,  but  missionaries  from  the  East  and  South  came  to  them  anc^ 
planted  in  their  souls  the  seeds  of  the  new  religion  (Christianity), 
and  also  the  seeds  of  hatred  to  the  Jews.  These  seeds  remained 
latent  for  a  considerable  time,  but  at  last  they  fructified,  and  the 
Jew  felt  the  influences  of  hatred  and  prejudice.  Hatred  to  the  race 
traveled  from  the  East  and  South,  to  the  West  and  North.  Juda- 
ism teaches  that  God  is  a  spirit,  though  that  dogma  in  so  many 
words  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  Hebrew  Bible.  Yet  there  is  a  nega- 
tive proof  It  is  said  in  Genesis  that  "  the  spirit  ( RooacJi)  of  God 
moved  on  the  face  of  the  waters,"  and  notwithstanding  the  critical 
school,  the  etymologj'  of  the  word  Booach  gives  the  idea  of  a  spirit, 
and  not  of  a  "  powerful  wind."  This  concej^tion  of  God  as  a  sjDirit 
has  exerted  a  great  influence  on  the  development  of  Jvidaism.  The 
next  idea  to  which  I  shall  call  your  attention  is  holiness  ;  and  in 
the  Jewish  mind,  the  definition  of  this  word  is  quite  different  from 
anything  it  conveys  to  the  mind  of  others.     The  next  divine  attri- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


421 


bute  is  that  of  goodness;  and  this  attribute  sank  deeply  into  the 
Jewish  mind  ;  it  even  extended  to  mercy  to  animals,  and  it  is  curi- 
ous now  to  find  that  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals  was  anticipated  by  Judaism  thousands  of  years  ago.  It  is 
the  more  remarkable  since  we  find  no  i-ei'erence  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment to  the  obhgation  of  human  beings  to  protect  dumb  animals. 
In  the  New  Testament,  charity  is  enforced  even  at  the  expense  of 
justice  (another  divine  attribiite)  ;  but  justice  was  so  impressed  on 
the  Hebrew  mind  that  in  the  Bible  judges  are  called  "  gods." 
Dr.  a.  Benisch. 

The  late  Dr.  A.  Benisch,  Editor  of  the  London  Jewish  Chronicle,  was  well  known  for  his 
erudition  and  his  untiring  interest  in  all  matters  concerning  the  wellfare  of  the  -Jewish 
nation. 

CoNvEEsioNisT  -One  who  prevails  upon  an-  I      Consolidation— The   act  of  iiniting  into  a 
other  man  to  change  his  religion.  solid  mass. 

Exposition— Explanation,  interpretation.       |      To  Fructify— To  bear  fruit. 


THE  HEBREW  MAID  AND  SYRIAN  CHIEF. 

(2  Kings  v  :  2.) 


Why  was   she    there,  mid    the  Syrian 
band, 
That  little  Hebrew  maid  ? 
Why  was  she   brought   from   her  own 
loved  land, 
Where  she  in  childhood  strayed? 

Who  took  her  from  her  home  afar, 

Each  dear  familiar  place, 
And  brought  her  captive  from  the  war, 

To  serve  a  stranger-race  ? 

Was  it  the  chieftain  of  the  host, 

The  favorite  of  the  king. 
Who  counted  not  the  bitter  cost 

Captivity  would  bring? 

Perhaps  her  face  was  very  fair. 

Her  voice  of  sweetest  tone  ; 
Perhaps,  of  Israel's  daughters  there. 

She  was  the  loveliest  one. 

It  might  have  been  that  on  her  brow 

There  dwelt  a  holy  light 
Of  truth  and  innocence,  to  show 

A  spirit  pure  and  bright. 


We  cannot  tell — for,  to  this  hour, 

We  only  can  be  sure 
That  to  her  words  was  given  a  power 

Which  wrought  a  wondrous  cure. 

The  leper  by  the  prophet  healed — 

Of  her,  no  more  is  said — 
No  after  history  revealed, 

Of  this  young  Hebrew  maid. 

Perhaps  her  mission  then  was  done, 
With  that  one  earnest  plea, 

"Would  God  my  lord  were  with  that 
one  great  prophet  at  Samaria  !  Soon 
He'd  cure  his  leprosy." 

Thus  was   she  brought  from    Israel's 
land, 

A  captive  and  alone  ; 
Yet  led  by  an_Almighty  hand, 

Unknowing  and  unknown. 

And,  though  we  ne'er  have  heard  her 
name. 

Her  memory  will  endure, 
Linked  to  the  fortunes  and  the  fame 

Of  Naaman  and  his  cure.       -T.  M. 


RELIGION  AND  SCIENCE. 

What  is  faith  ?  The  unconscious  permeation  of  a  living  truth ; 
in  rehgion  it  is  natural,  immediate  presentment  of  an  all-loving 
Being,  on  whom  we  are  dependent;  and  with  whom  we  stand  in  in- 


42-3  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

tiniate  connection;  it  is  the  vital  feeling  innate  in  man,  to  belong- 
to  a  God  who  is  love,  mercy,  goodness,  grace  and  wisdom.  That 
coercive  power  which  suggests  to  the  mind  of  the  artist  the  ideas  of 
the  sublime  and  beautiful,  by  which  he  creates  those  lofty  works 
which  excite  our  admiration;  the  unconscious  power  which  urges 
the  poet  to  bring  to  life  the  children  of  the  world  of  sentiment  and 
to  represent  with  irresistible  force  the  eternally  beautiful  in  the  sym- 
phon}'  of  language;  the  inexpressible  enthusiasm  which  fills  the 
heart  of  the  hero,  steels  his  courage,  that  drives  him  to  the  battle- 
field to  sacrifice  his  life  in  behalf  of  his  countr}^  and  fellow  beings; 
that  indistinct  something  which  fans  in  us  the  flame  of  enthusiasm 
for  the  beautiful,  grand,  noble,  lofty,  eternal  and  imi^eiishable ;  the 
wonderful  sentiment  of  the  child  which  draws  it  with  ardor  toward 
its  parents  and  which  enables  it  to  offer  any  sacrifice  for  the  origi- 
nator of  its  life ;  all  this  has  one  and  the  same  unknown  foundation, 
one  and  the  same  mysterious  root  with  faith.  Faith,  the  artistic 
mid  poetic  mind,  heroic  condvict,  enthusiasm  and  filial  love — they  all 
are  the  fi'uits  of  one  tree  of  life;  they  all  emanate  from  that  divine 
fountain  which  the  all-loving  Father  has  planted  in  the  hearts  of 
His  childi'en.  Faith  is,  therefore,  fertile  and  creative ;  unconsciously, 
involuntarily,  without  pondering  or  meditating,  man  is  prompted  to 
perform  deeds  grand,  noble  and  lofty,  and  with  a  force  against  which 
till  resistance  would  be  futile.  It  siu'ges  and  roars  in  the  heart  that 
is  tilled  with  faith;  it  works  and  germinates  in  the  mind  of  the  truly 
faithful;  a  nameless  longing  for  the  service  of  life,  the  spring  of 
eternal  love  takes  possession  of  man  and  necessitates  him  to  cause 
faith  to  come  into  the  world  of  vision.  Faith  is  indestructible,  firm 
and  immovable.  Because  it  is  innate  in  the  heart  of  man,  it  is  the 
divine  in  the  form  of  the  human;  it  can,  therefore,  neither  perish 
nor  fall  a  prey  to  the  decay  of  time.  Like  a  rock  upon  the  stormy 
sea  which  remains  unskaken  amidst  the  surging  waves  and  biUows; 
like  a.  strong  footstejD  bidding  defiance  to  the  obstinate  attacks  of  an 
enemy,  so  with  faith,  to  which  the  words  of  our  Haphtora,  "  thou 
art  my  rock  and  my  castle,"  refer.  Faith  gives  covtrage  in  danger, 
consolation  in  adversity  and  comfort  in  the  da}^  of  distress.  "  Though 
the  sorrows  of  death  encompass  me  about,  and  the  snares  of  the 
netherworld  surround  me,  then  I  call  upon  my  Lord  in  my  distress,'' 
are  the  words  of  the  faithful.  Dost  thou  desire,  my  friend,  a  picture 
of  faith.  Go  forth  in  the  open  air  on  a  clear  and  cloudless 
night.  All  around  thee  is  lulled  into  calm  stillness;  the  noise  and 
turmoil  of  the  day  have  passed  over  into  a  deathlike  silence;  above 
thee  is  the  blue  arch  of  heaven;  myriads  of  stars  are  reflecting  their 
bright  and  refulgent  rays  upon  thy  countenance.  There  is  peace 
within  thy  breast,  a  feeling  of  heavenly  joy  rushes  through  thy 
heart,  it  is  so  well,  so  lovely,  so  cheerful  with  thee — thou  knowestnot 
liow  nor  whv — this  is  faith. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  433 

11. 

What  is  knowledge?  The  conscious  ajDjorehension  of  an  indefinite 
object;  in  religion  it  is  the  ideas  of  the  divine,  as  conceived  by  human 
reason.  Whenever  reason,  the  cold  and  heartless  child  of  the  spirit, 
directs  its  innate  moulds  of  thought  to  the  great  First  Cause,  it  obtains 
a  knowledge  of  the  same.  Just  as  the  cold  joins  more  closely  together 
the  loosened  particles  and  forms  from  them  a  united  whole,  so  intel- 
ligent knowledge  acts;  it  grasps  several  manifestations,  rol^s  them 
of  their  vital  liquid  and  then  it  consolidates  them  into  a  close  union. 
The  birthplace  of  knowledge  is  the  external  world,  because  knowl- 
edge passes  from  it  into  the  human  mind.  The  intellect  alone  and 
of  itself  to  the  very  last  point  of  the  universe  erects  a  weak  and 
decaying  bridge,  strides  over  it,  and  never  2:)enetrates  into  the  depths 
or  root  of  that  which  it  beholds.  The  astronomer,  who  from  his 
circumscribed  point  of  vision,  measures  the  distances  and  calculates 
the  period  of  revolution  of  the  heavenly  orbs;  the  general,  who 
draws  upon  paj)er  the  order  of  battle  and  the  movements  of  his 
enemy;  the  botanist,  who  arranges  the  vegetable,  kingdom  into 
classes  and  orders ;  the  j)hysician,  who  dissects  the  component  mem- 
bers of  the  human  fi'ame — they  know  meditation  and  study  are  the 
implements,  why  and  tvherefore  the  watchwords  of  the  learned.  Knowl- 
edge is  fiear  and  Iransparent  because  intellect  investigates,  examines 
and  searches;  but  it  is  the  clearness  and  tran>i])areiicy  of  the  masses 
of  ice  which  contract  the  heart  and  benumb  the  blood.  Knowledge  is 
a  mte  because  intellect  by  means  of  its  tw^o  watchwords  seeks  to  pene- 
trate into  the  very  existence  and  essence  of  things;  the  sharpness 
of  a  knife,  however,  separates  the  fibers  and  veins  fi"om  the  body, 
but  it  cannot  imbue  it  with  warmth,  vitality  and  motion.  Knowl- 
edge is  active,  since  the  intellect  passes  from  cause  to  cause,  and 
from  law  to  law;  but  it  needs  the  creative  element  which  is  the 
mother  of  great  and  noble  deeds.  Restlessness  and  the  torments  of 
doubt  are  its  companions,  which  relentlessly  pursue  it  and  deprive  it 
of  quiet.  Dost  thou  desire  a  picture  of  intelligent  knowledge,  behold 
the  day.  The  sun  sends  forth  his  burning  rays;  the  outlines  of  every- 
thing are  clear  to  the  eye ;  nothing,  nothing  can  escape  your  notice ; 
the  earth  is  like  an  open  book  before  you.  But  there  is  a  bustle  and 
a  heaving  around  about  3'ou,  you  have  no  rest;  myriads  of  mani- 
festations pass  before  your  view;  of  all  these,  however,  you  can 
only  perceive  the  external  apj^earance;  the  bright  stars  of  the  night 
are  hidden  from  jonr  sight  and  your  foot  is  bound  to  the  earth. 


III. 

This  is  faith  and  knowledge.  To  which  of  them  shall  ice  give  our 
adherence?  History  and  experience  can  give  us  the  answer.  Faith 
by  its  proxiniity,  alone  and  of  itself,  as  a  daughter  of  that  Avhich  is 


424  SCHOOL  AND  FAiJILY  READER 

doubtful,  gloomy  and  unknown,  dwelling  near  the  feelings  in  the  quiet 
recesses  of  the  heart,  develops  itself  not  unfrequently  inio  fanaticism. 
Who,  my  fi-iends,  during  the  middle  ages  sharpened  the  sword  and 
compelled  brother  to  use  it  against  brother?  Wbo  brought  into  ex- 
istence the  pangs  of  the  torture,  the  most  abominable  instrument 
which  ever  was  conceived  in  any  human  brain?  Who  erected 
the  stakes,  stirred  the  iires  and  fed  the  flames  with  human  blood  ? 
Wbo  have  trodden  with  their  feet  images  of  God,  drove  them  forth 
into  the  world  without  loof  or  shelter,  and  hunted  them  down  like 
wild  beasts  ?  Who  have  anathemized  those  of  a  different  creed  ? 
Who  else  than  fanatics?  Pestilence,  plagues  and  contagious  dis- 
eases coi;nt  not  so  many  ofterings  as  fanaticism.  How  often  has 
faith  assumed  the  fury  of  the  beast  and  has  blotted  out  the  feelings 
dwelling  in  one  chamber?  How  much  of  fanaticism  is  inscribed  on 
the  pages  of  our  history?  Knowledge  is  a  mere  form  which  must 
conceal  the  interior;  there  always  remains  something  external, 
since  from  the  exterior  it  reaches  man.  Knowledge  is  cold  and 
heartless,  because  it  lacks  the  warmth  and  intensity  of  the  soul, 
since  it  sjDiings  fi'om  a  calm  mind.  It  is  continually  subject  to 
change,  and  forsakes  man  in  the  sorrowful  and  decisive  moments  of 
life;  the  closed  eyes  of  your  father  and  the  pallid  countenance  of 
your  deceased  mother  crush  all  your  proud  knowledge  into  nothing- 
ness, and  the  pillars  of  the  fire  of  knowledge  are  often  obscured  by 
the  clouds  of  misfortune.  In  fine,  knowledge  is  dependent,  then  it 
requires  the  support  of  the  material  world  to  keep  itself  erect;  faith, 
my  fi'iends,  is  blind,  knowledge  lame.  Shall  we  place  the  lame  upon 
the  blind,  according  to  a  well  known  fable  which  Rabbi  Jehudah 
the  Pious  related  to  the  Emperor  Antoninus?  The  blind  would  re- 
main always  blind,  and  the  lame  always  lame,  even  if  both  were  to 
move  forward.  Do  the  mind  and  the  heart,  the  spiritual  manifesta- 
tions of  faith  and  kr.owledge,  live  apart?  Are  they  not  continually 
interchanging  with  one  another?  Or  is  the  sunny  day  or  the  starry- 
night  created  for  two  separate  classes  of  men?  Or  is  there  not  a 
continual  changing  of  one  with  the  other  ?  Indeed,  do  they  not  exist 
at  one  and  the  same  time  in  both  hemispheres  ?  To  proceed  from 
faith,  to  2MSS  through  sensible  knculedge  and  to  return  to  rational  fadh, 
that  is  the  way  men  should  walk.  When  the  intensity  and  firmness, 
the  warmth  and  mildness  of  faith,  the  clearness  and  insight,  the  re- 
finement and  purification  of  knowledge  intermingle  among  each 
other,  and  form  an  inseparable  whole,  that  produces  the  man  com- 
plete with  head  and  heart,  mind  and  soul.  Those  zones  are  the  best 
where  day  and  night  are  in  a  proper  relationship  to  one  another,  and 
as  our  sages  remark:  "The  equality  of  days  and  nights  in  Nisin  and 
Tishri  are  uniform."  An  old  Talmudical  Rabbi  has  given  us  a  good 
illustration  of  this,  liabbi  ben  Ghana  said:  "The  sea  voyagers 
told  me  of  a  wave  which  was  about  to  ingulf  a  ship,  and  appeared 


FOR  THE  USP]  OF  ISRAELITES.  43.'>. 

like  white  fire.  They  thereupon  struck  it  with  a  staff  upon  which 
was  engraved  the  name  of  (iod,  and  it  became  still."  Do  you  know 
the  sea,  the  voyagers,  the  ship,  the  wave  and  the  staflf?  The  sea  is 
the  world — "the  world  is  a  stormy  sea,''  are  the  words  of  the  poet 
Yedaja  Penini  Bedarshi;  the  voyagers  are  the  men  who  sail  along 
in  the  ship  of  faith;  there  rises  a  foaming  wave — empty  knowledge 
with  its  din  and  foam — and  threatens  the  vessel  with  shijD wreck;  but 
the  name  of  God,  the  return  to  an  eternal  life  which  glides  over  the 
waters,  restores  rest,  and  the  travelers  sail  safely  till  they  anclior  in 
the  harbor  of  eternal  rest.  But,  my  friends,  even  if  this  is  the  cor- 
rect view,  it  still  remains  a  picture,  which  really  in  our  age  has  found 
no  place.  On  the  one  hand  it  is  fanaticism  and  blind  faith  in  an  old 
and  a  new  form,  which  still  hurls  its  anathemas  and  joins  hands  with 
those  who  persecuted  heretics;  and  on  the  other  hand  science  raises 
its  hollow  head  and  looks  with  contempt  upon  the  tender  blossoms 
of  religion.  Far  greater,  however,  is  the  injury  and  mischief 
which  that  hollow  and  deceitful  knowledge  produces.  If  you 
ask  your  co-religionist  why  he  has  given  up  all  religious  forms 
and  betrays  by  nothing — I  will  not  say  that  he  is  an  Israelite— but 
whether  he  at  all  has  any  conception  of  the  existence  of  a  living- 
God,  he  will  answer  you  with  an  overbearing  mien,  expressing  to  you 
his  regret  for  your  narrow-mindness,  that  he  stands  upon  the  ground 
of  science.  Of  science  ?  Is  it  in  the  valley  or  in  the  lowland,  so 
that  any  one  can  easily  glide  into  it.  Is  not  rational  knowledge  en- 
throned upon  a  high  and  rugged  hill,  whose  immutable  foundation 
is  faith  ?  Examine  once  the  knowledge  of  your  co-reHgionist  and 
ask  him  what  he  has  received  in  exchange  for  the  precious  treasui'es 
of  religion;  you  will  find  that  instead  of  days  of  rest  and  festivals 
he  has  received  a  continual  restlessness  which  draws  his  mind  fi'om 
a  lofty  elevation  to  a  low  depth ;  that,  instead  of  possessing  those 
great  boons — sobriety  and  temperance — which  faith  teaches  us, 
he  is  led  about  by  a  chain  of  passions.  Ask  him  about  his  house  of 
prayer,  he  will  show  you  his  store,  wherein  you  will  find  a  large  as- 
sortment of  his  gods,  made  of  gold,  silver  and  silk,  Ijing  in  cases  and 
drawers,  of  which  he  keeps  a  strict  account.  And  jvist  as  he  sells 
his  great  and  little  gods,  so  he  will  finally  barter  his  God  for  a  sin- 
ner's fee,  for  an  appearance  of  honor.  Oh,  that  mercantile  spirit  of 
my  people  is  now  beating  new  and  great  paths;  he  Iradefi  in  reli- 
gion !  our  national  existence  has  been  destroyed,  our  sanctuaries 
have  been  transformed  into  dust  and  ashes;  we  have  been  driven 
over  every  portion  of  the  earth;  in  the  middle  ages  we  were 
hunted  down  like  wild  beasts;  and  all  this,  aye,  our  whole  history, 
would  be  a  mere  farce  which  he  could  laugh  at,  and  the  rivers  of 
blood  and  floods  of  tears  were  only  shed  in  order  that  we  might 
lavish  and  squander  the  inheritance  of  our  fathers.  Fools  were  the 
six  hundred  thousand  men  who  left  Spain  to  endure  sorrow,  grief, 


426 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


hunger  and  thirst;  fools  were  all  those  who  left  their  native  country- 
on  account  of  their  faith ;  fools  were  our  co-religionists  in  Sicily  to 
whom  God  was  dearer  than  country;  fools  were  our  northern  breth- 
ren whose  zeal  for  their  faith  could  not  be  crushed  by  tyranny; 
fools  were  our  brethren  in  Rome  who  would  not  leave  their  damp 
and  gloomy  dwellings  for  the  sake  of  their  religion;  fools  are  all  of 
i;s  Avho  love  God  and  observe  His  festivals.  A  new  school  of  wis- 
dom has  been  opened  unto  us,  thither  we  must  go;  there  we  must 
sit  and  hearken  to  the  magic  words  of  the  new  teachers.  Do  you 
know  this  magic  word  ?  Its  name  is  treachery,  treachery  to  faith, 
treachery  to  religion,  treachery  to  history,  treachery  to  the  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  our  persecuted  brethren.  For  in  this  is  con- 
tained the  wisdom  of  our  age,  that  wisdom  of  which  Job  says: 
"The  wisdom  which  cometh  fi-om  nothing."  No,  we  will  not  act 
treacherously  toward  history,  we  will  guard  ourselves  against 
both  extremes.  Neither  blind  fanaticism  shall  dazzle  our  sight, 
nor  shall  superficial  knowledge  deceive  us.  The  knowledge  of  the 
Egyptians  was  an  external  one  and  did  not  impress  the  heart; 
but  the  faith  of  Israel  required  a  crowning  point,  knowledge,  which 
Avas  given  to  it  on  Sinai.  There  darkness  was  made  light,  the  un- 
known known,  and  faith  became  rational.  If  knowledge  and  faith 
then  are  two  poles,  then  the  middle  is  the  point  of  gravity  upon 
which  we  should  stand  in  life.  May  the  Lord  assist  us  in  this,  so 
that  we  will  be  strong  in  hfe  and  not  perish  in  the  course  of  time; 
may  He  lead  us  through  history  as  he  led  our  forefathers,  and  may 
He  be  unto  us  and  our  descendants  a  shield  and  refuge  for  evermore. 

Dk.  Ad.  Jellinek. 

SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 


I  BLESS  Thee,  Father,  for  the  grace 
Thou  me  this  clay  hast  given  ; 

Strengthening  my  soul  to  seek  Thy  face, 
And  list  the  theme  of  heaven. 

1  bless  Thee,  that  each  workday  care 
Thy  love  hath  luU'd  to  rest. 

And   every   thought   M'hose   wing  was 
prayer 
Thine  answering  word  hath  bless'd. 

1  bless  Thee,  Father  !  Those  dark  fears 
That  linger' d  round  my  heart, 

That  called  for  murmurs,  doubts  and 
fears. 
Thy  mercy  bade  depart. 

OhI    Thou  alone   couldst    send    them 
hence 
On  this  bless'd  day  of  peace, 
And  with  Thy  sph-it's  pure  incense 


Bid  workday  turmoils  cease. 

The  withering  pangs  of  anxious  care 
Were  through  the  week  my  own, 

Eased  only  in  the  hour  of  prayer, 
But  never  from  me  flown. 

Darkly  around  me  closed  the  night. 
Though  trusting  still  in  Thee  ; 

And  heavily  I  hail'd  the  light, 
Fraught  with  few  joys  for  me. 

How  came  it,  then,  my  Sabbath  day 
Is  with  such  bliss  replete — 

That  visions  bright  around  me  play, 
Whose  smiles  my  spirit  greet  ? 

Oh  !  'tis  as  some  reviving  dew 
Were  o'er  each  sorrow  stealing, 

Folding  in  heaven's  own  azure  hue 
Each  dark  and  weary  feeling. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  IS11A.EL1TES. 


42^ 


As  if  no  sorrow  could  molest 

My  soaring  soul  again, 
Nor  find  a  momentary  rest 

F'or  aught  of  earthly  pain. 

A  Sabbath  to  my  inmost  heart, 
Thy  day,  my  God,  hath  been, 

Thy  loving  kindness  to  impart, 
E'en  to  a  child  of  sin. 

A  verdant  spot,  a  cooling  spring. 
On  earth's  unkindly  breast, 

Where  all  who  childlike  spirits  bring 
Shall  healing  find,  and  rest. 

My  God  !  my  Father  !  'tis  from  Thee 
These  blessed  hours  have  come  ; 

I  hail  them  type  of  joys  for  me. 
That  wait  me  in  Thy  home. 


Come,  then  !  if,  Lord,  'tis  Thy  decree, 
My  workday  thoughts  of  care, 

The  day  of  rest  is  still  for  me, 
Thy  presence  then  to  share. 

And    naught    shall   banish    from    my 
heart 

Its  memories  lingering  yet, 
Their  twilight  soothing  to  impart, 

E'en  when  their  sun  has  set. 

Oh  !  never  let  its  fleece  be  dry. 
Thine  own  day  mid  the  seven. 

And   wing  M'ith  prayer,  my  God,   each 
sigh 
That  yearns  for  Thee  and  heaven  ! 

Grace  Aguilar. 


HEBREWS  AND  GREEKS. 

Life  is  a  battleground  of  contrasts.  These  contrasts  are  of  differ- 
ent kinds.  In  ancient  and  modern  times  one  nation  raised  itself 
above  the  other,  and  claimed  in  opposition  to  its  neighbors  to  be  the 
chosen  people,  and  the  least  progressive  natives  of  the  Orient,  in  their 
religious  narrowness,  despise  all  others  as  unclean.  To  feel  them- 
selves as  prominent,  in  opposition  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  only  two 
nations  on  earth  were  entitled — the  nation  Avhich,  in  the  midst  of  a 
world  filled  by  idolatry,  possessed  the  pure  perception  of  God,  and 
the  nation  which  had  develojoed  such  a  rich  and  peculiar  culture  that 
it  could  proudly  look  upon  other  nations  as  non-Hellenes  or  barba- 
rians, and  despise  them. 

With  both  nations,  it  was  a  sj^iritual  possession  which  gave  them 
this  proud  self-esteem.  Both  Avere  small,  dwindling  minorities 
among  the  masses  that  surrounded  them.  To  both,  disdain  and  in- 
difference toward  the  outside  world  was  a  necessary  condition,  as  by 
the  repelling  of  the  foreign  elements  and  the  persistence  in  their 
own  peculiarities,  they  became  self-conscious  and  strong.  Through 
their  exclusiveness,  both  accomplished  what  in  its  intrinsic  value 
reaches  far  beyond  their  national  existence,  both  left  us  an  inheri- 
tance of  such  value  that,  to  this  day,  nations  are  divided  according 
to  the  degree  that  they  profited  by  this  inheritance,  a  treasure  for 
mankind  which  was  cast  away,  forgotten,  uselessly  disregarded,  then 
again  taken  up  and  ever  proved  a  renovating  power  of  life  and  bliss. 

The  two  nations  were  similar  in  this  respect  only. 

With  the  one  it  was  an  idea  that  governed  its  whole  life,  a  point 
around  which  everything  concentrated,  a  possession,  a  diadem,  and 
all  forces  were  devoted  to  one  purpose,  namely — to  preserve  the  inire 
flame  of  religious  service.     The  property  of  the  other  nation  con- 


428  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

sisted  in  the  full  development  of  all  human  faculties,  and  in  the  active 
diversities  of  spiiitual  possessions,  whereby  it  improved  upon  the 
perverse  indifference  of  the  other  nations. 

Israel's  history  commences  with  a  small  circle  or  tribe  of  nomads 
in  an  isolated  mountainous  region,  beginning  with  the  family  of  an 
Emir,  whose  house  gradvially  increased  to  a  nation,  led,  blessed, 
chastised  by  the  hand  of  its  God,  and  always  restored  again  to  its 
peculiar  mission. 

The  Hellenes,  on  the  contrary,  were  from  the  beginning  left  to 
themselves,  as  a  widely  branched  human  family,  in  the  midst  of  a 
world  composed  of  coasts  and  islands,  well  adapted  to  promoting 
lively  national  intercoiu'se,  and  an  inborn  inclination  developed  by 
itself  did  they  learn  to  feel  themselves  as  a  nation  in  contrast  with 
the  non-Hellenes. 

Formerly  scholars  were  inclined  to  accept  the  notion  that  the 
Hellenes,  like  the  people  of  Israel,  were  isolated  from  the  beginning, 
and  that  their  culture  arose  from  their*  own  seed.  It  has  become 
clearer  that  the  Greeks  lived  in  most  ancient  times  in  the  country  of 
the  Nile,  and  the  Phoenicians  in  the  midst  of  Hellas.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  Aryan  nationality,  formiug  the  nucleus,  became 
essentially  changed,  not  only  in  its  exterior  culture,  but  also  in  its 
inner  life — the  pantheistic  deities  of  Asia  filUng  the  land  of  the  Hel- 
lenes under  all  kinds  of  names.  Their  language  remains  pure,  and 
therein  rested  the  nucleus  of  the  national  feeling  that  would  not 
admit  the  incomprehensible  languages  of  the  barbarians. 

With  the  worship  of  Apollo,  Hellenistic  national  feehng  came  into 
their  manner  and  religion.  Apollo  was  no  native ;  the  way  can  be 
pointed  out  whereby  he  came  from  the  East — the  harbors  where  his 
first  altars  stood.  He  united  both  shores  of  the  sea,  but  not  before 
he  arrived  on  this  continent  did  he  gain  his  true  form,  and  then  the 
tribes  of  the  Hellenes  were  combined,  and  then  gods  were  arranged 
in  one  family. 

In  the  j)lace  of  Olympus,  where  the  Hellenistic  deities  were  formed, 
the  Parnassus  became  the  Holy  Mount,  and  Delphi  the  hearth  round 
about  the  more  nobler  tribe  formed  a  selected  family  circle.  Just 
as  the  calling  of  the  proj^hets  in  Israel  to  preserve  an  active  recog- 
nition of  the  ideal  possession  of  the  people,  so  the  priests  and  seers 
of  Delphi  gave  expression  to  the  Hellenic  character  in  religion,  art 
and  manner,  and  from  this  dated  the  contrast  between  Hellenes  and 
barbarians,  yet  unknown  in  the  Homeric  times. 

But  the  Delj^hic  priesthood  was  neither  able  nor  inclined  to  sur- 
round by  strange  barriers  this  ideal  nationality.  They  admired  the 
lespect  paid  to  the  Delphic  Apollo  by  the  tyrants  of  the  other  con- 
tinent. Hence  their  sympathies  for  the  wealthy  King  of  Phrygia 
and  Lydia,  and  their  supineness  when  it  was  attempted  to  transfonn 
Hellas  into  a  Persian  tributary.     The  idea  that  spiritual  jjossessions 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  •     429 

van  only  be  g'uarded  ])y  political  independence  originated  with  the 
people,  and  thereby  Delphi  ceased  to  be  the  guardian  of  the  nation- 
ality, the  representative  of  the  opposition  to  the  barbarians.  In  the 
place  of  the  sanctuary  came  the  communities;  in  the  place  of  the 
priests  and  prophets,  the  statesmen  of  Athens;  Athens  became  the 
leader  in  spite  of  Delphi ;  and,  while  fighting,  the  people  first 
l>ecame  fully  aware  what  they  were  fighting  for:  a  small  part  of 
Greece  surrounded  Athens,  the  Boeotians  and  Lenchise  separated, 
the  Pelojionnesians  withdrew,  and,  in  the  end,  what  could  be  called 
in  its  fullest  sense  Hellas  was  really  limited  to  one  city.  After  the 
short  yeai's  of  peace  under  Pericles,  the  bloody  strifes  of  paiiies, 
Avith  all  their  demoralizing  consequences,  manifested  themselves. 
The  best  citizens  withdrew  fi-om  communal  affairs,  not  recognizing 
therein  the  character  of  their  nationality,  and  geuuine  Hellenism 
appeared  again  as  an  ideal  possession  not  bound  to  any  city  or  peo- 
ple. Epaminondas  attempted  to  realize  such  a  general  Hellenism  not 
bound  to  any  place,  and  Isocrates  designated  it  as  an  honor  to  the 
Hellenes  that  their  names  express  not  so  much  a  people  as  cultvu'e 
and  nobility  of  manners. 

With  feeling  of  instability  and  exhausted  in  means,  Hellas  tried 
again  a  union  with  the  nations  of  the  earth  which  it  formerly  re- 
jected. But  when,  among  the  princes  of  the  noith,  one  aj^peared 
willing  to  join,  not,  however,  as  a  serviceable  confederate,  but  as 
an  arrogant  master,  Demosthenes  succeeded  in  again  inflaming  the 
hatred  against  the  barbarians,  and  it  was  his  w^ork  that  the  people 
again  recovered,  and  that  the  history  of  the  independent  Hellenes 
closed  wdtli  a  combat  of  heroes.  During  these  combats,  Aristotle 
walked  under  the  shady  trees  of  Mieza  with  the  son  of  the  king, 
demonstrating  to  him  that  the  Hellenes  were  called  upon  to  rule 
over  all  the  nations.  He  inspired  the  fiery  soul  of  his  pupil  to  take 
up  with  renewed  power  the  old  fight  against  the  barbarians.  After 
Hellenic  science  had  withdrawn  to  a  narrower  circle  and  at  last 
developed  its  blossoms  in  Athens,  whence  it  filled  mankind  with  its 
odor,  the  fruit  now  ripened,  and  Alexander,  like  a  new  Triptolemos, 
"Avent  out  to  spread  the  seed  over  the  countries  of  the  Orient,  the 
same  countries  whence  once  the  first  seeds  of  enlightenment  were 
carried  to  Europe. 

Among  the  number  of  nations  despised  by  the  Hellenes  as  bar- 
barians were  those  whose  gifts  they  did  not  know^ — gifts  which  just 
replaced  the  wants  of  the  Hellenes.  They  were  well  aware  that  a 
people  hastens  to  its  destruction,  morally  and  socially,  without 
religion.  They  had  preserved  from  the  oldest  times  the  idea  of  a 
God,  who  is  no  mere  natural  power,  but  a  father  of  gods  and  man- 
kind, who  might  only  be  approached  by  imageless  worship.  They 
had  spiritualized  all  the  important  deities  and  raised  from  the 
sphere  of   nature    into   the    spiritual ;     and   their   noblest     foi-ms. 


480  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Minerva  and  Apollo,  point  to  the  closest  connection  with  the  orig- 
inal God. 

But  the  jDurer  idea  of  God  was  like  a  colorless  remembrance  of 
the  paternal  house — an  empty  ideal.  Piety  was  the  postulate  of 
ethics  deduced  from  a  correct  appreciation  of  the  nature  of  man. 
They  felt  that  man  was  created  for  God  ;  they  attempted  to  ap- 
proach Him  as  on  the  steps  of  a  pyramid,  but  the  apex  was  want- 
ing, and  the  acquisition  of  the  few  select— an  artificial  edifice — 
offei-ed  no  support  to  the  people,  and  whenever  the  stones  fell  asun- 
der men  sunk  into  the  miid  of  vulgarity,  without  a  hand  stretched 
to  redeem  them. 

So  our  view  is  turned  to  the  other  of  the  two  nations  in  question 
— the  only  one  entitled  to  stand  at  the  side  of  the  Hellenes  with  a 
proud  self-esteem — their  historial  contrast.  What  was  wanting  to 
them  forms  in  Israel  the  kernel  of  its  nationality,  the  only  reliable 
and  indispensable  one.  There  existed  no  experimenting,  no  search- 
ing after  an  unknown  God,  but  a  grasping  of  mankind  by  the  Deity. 
There  were  no  nebulous  surmises,  but  facts,  strong  evidences;  not 
merely  single  rays  of  lightning  which  crossed  the  night  like  flashes 
of  light  without  thunder,  but  a  covenant  between  God  and  man, 
starting  fi'om  simple  principles,  increasing  alwaj'S  to  a  more  com- 
l^lete  and  complicated  connection,  with  personal  reciprocity  com- 
prising the  total  national  life. 

We  have  before  us  such  a  peculiar  state,  not  to  be  explained  by 
the  process  of  development  of  a  people  left  to  itself,  and  the  more 
the  range  of  science  increases,  the  more  analogies  are  offered,  but 
none  which  might  be  considered  as  a  sufficient  preparation  to  this 
state. 

Humanity  is  nothing  else  than  a  healthy  develoj^ment  of  human 
faculties  ;  and  should  the  most  important,  the  most  human,  the 
facility  of  recognizing  God,  be  excluded  therefrom?  Religion  is 
indispensable  and  unavoidable  to  the  popular  life.  Those  who 
would  only  limit  this  want  to  a  lower  grade  of  culture  I  do  not  con- 
sider necessary  to  refute  in  this  place,  where  two  of  the  greatest 
thinkers  of  the  German  nation — Fichte  and  Schleirmacher — evi- 
dently proved  that  religious  life  forms  not  onl^-  the  basis  of  popular 
welfai'e,  but  the  accomplishment  of  spiritual  culture. 

Man,  belonging  to  two  worlds,  is  called  upon  to  conquer  the  matter 
to  which  he  belongs  externally.  He  conquers  it  as  an  artist  in 
spiritualizing  the  matter,  he  conquers  matter  as  a  student  in  recog- 
nizing in  nature,  as  well  as  in  the  afi:airs  of  mankind,  order  and  law ! 
for  whenever  there  is  order  there  is  the  spirit  and  divine  life.  But 
there  is  also  an  organ  for  the  direct  recognition  of  divinity,  which 
ought  to  be  cultivated  and  improved  as  much  as  the  desire  for  men- 
tal research  and  the  eye  of  the  artist  ;  for  the  human  heart  has  im- 
planted the  desire  to  be  sure  of  its  God,  and  there  exists  a  power  to 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  481 

adliere  to  Him.  l>y  tliis  power  the  greatest  performances  human 
beings  are  capable  of  were  accompHshed,  the  most  complete  sub- 
mission of  the  material  world,  the  most  Avilling  sacrifice  of  property 
and  life,  the  highest  triumph  of  the  free  human  mind. 

It  is  the  power  by  which  feeling,  cognition  and  need  combine 
thoroughly — the  power  of  faith.  How  poor  would  human  history 
appear  if  the  heroism  would  be  wanting  that  is  based  upon  that 
power !  Every  student  follows  diligently  its  traces,  art  kno-svs  no 
higher  task  than  to  represent  its  deeds,  it  forms  the  fountain  of  the 
purest  poetry,  and  for  our  life  it  should  be  of  no  concern ;  we  could 
be  without  it,  without  feeling  a  want  of  human  culture,  a  weakness, 
an  important  incomj^etence  !  I  cannot  believe  it,  although  some  try 
to  controvert  the  matter,  and,  it  very  often  happens,  to  speak  in  a 
simile,  that  an  eagle,whose  pinions  were  weakened,  will  convince  his^ 
companions  that  the  only  rational  movement  is  in  walking  on  the 
ground  step  by  step,  instead  of  springing  up  too  high  with  intrepid 
self-confidence.  Truth  is  simple  in  its  natiire,  and  proves  itself  to 
the  sincere  searcher  as  such.  If  it  could  only  be  gained  by  a  grap- 
pling mind,  if  methodically  investigated,  it  would  change  its  nature 
or  be  replaced  by  something  else  ;  then  in  reference  to  the  most  im- 
portant question  of  the  commonwealth,  a  crevice  would  open  desi  roy- 
ing  its  unity  and  undermining  the  health  and  strength  of  the  people. 
As  shown  by  the  example  of  the  Hellenes,  as  dazzling  as  individual 
efforts  appeared,  the  decline  of  the  whole  is  unavoidal)le  when  the 
thinkers  separate  from  the  totality,  the  vital  powers  sever,  which 
were  destined  to  work  together  and  to  support  and  complete  one 
another  in  the  organic  composition.  Thus  our  entire  culture  would 
be  endangered,  for  we  cannot  think  of  true  art  unsupported  by  a 
healthy  popular  feeling. 

To  secure  the  continued  progress  of  culture,  we  must  combine  ex- 
tended researches  in  all  branches  of  nature  and  history  of  the  Hellenes, 
with  the  collection  and  meditations  of  the  mind,  and  its  resolute  de- 
votion to  unite  them  to  a  central  truth,  whereto  the  other  of  the  two 
nations,  the  nation  of  religion,  was  called  upon  to  carry  the  intrusted 
idea  like  a  sanctum  through  the  wild  throng  of  the  history  of  the 
ancient  world,  and  to  lay  the  basis  upon  which  the  entire  modern 
culture  is  founded.  Professor  Curttus. 


Prof.  Cuetius,  an  eminent  professor  of  the  Berlin  Universitj-. 
Narkoytness — Want  of  comprehension.  ]    To  Postulate — To   beg  or  assume  without 


Nomad— One  who  leads  a  wandering  life. 

Emir — A  title  among  the  Turks,  denoting  a 
prince. 

Arian — Pertaining  to  Arins  or  his  doctrines. 

Olympus — Greece,  games  carried  on  there. 

Parnassus— A  mountain  in  Greece  celebra- 
ted in  mythology. 

Delphi — Pertaining  to  the  oracle  of  Apollo. 


proof. 

Apex — Tip  or  point. 

Analogy — Resemblance  of  things  in  some 
manner. 

Cognition — Knowledge,  complete  convic- 
tion. 

Sanctum — A  holy  place,  api^lied  sometimes 
by  individuals  to  their  private  rooms. 


432 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 


BY  THE  OLD  SPKING. 


A  REVERIE. 


I  LINGERED  ill  the  eventide 

Beside  the  cool  moss  spring, 
And   thought  of   what  the  past    had 
brought, 

The  future  yet  might  bring; 
The   cool  breeze    fanned    my    fevered 
cheek, 

Soft  as  true  love's  caress, 
The  lengthening  shadows  in  the  wood 

Increased  my  loneliness, 

How  hushed  !  how  quiet  I  not  a  sound 

Disturbs  this  still  retreat, 
Save  the  soft  murmur  of  the  leaves 

That  rustle  at  my  feet. 
The  silver  streamlet  ripples  on, 

Its  small  wrecks  on  its  breast; 
Onward,  stiil   on,  like  wandering  souls 

Seeking  in  vain  for  rest. 

High  on  yon  tree,  the  mocking  bird 

Trills  forth  his  sweet  sad  song; 
Perchance  a  tale  of  love,  or  else 

A  tale  of  fancied  wrong. 
Par  o'er  the  hill  the  distant  kine 

Go  lowing,  wending  home; 
And  now  the  stars  are  peeping  out 

To  light  the  welkin  dome. 


Alone  !  no  sound  of  human  kind 

Breaks  on  ray  solitude; 
But  specters  from  the  buried  past, 

Even  here,  still  dare. intrude; 
Pale  ghosts  of  youth's  bright,  mocking 
dreams, 

Roused  by  the  twilight  hour, 
Like   vampires  waked   by   moonbeams 
cold. 

Assert  their  old-time  power. 

Alone  I  the  soul  can  never  be  — 

Memory  walks  side  by  side. 
And  wakes  as  if  by  magic  wand 

Ghosts  of  the  hopes  that  died. 
In  early  youth  we  see  ourselves 

Shadows  in  a  dim  glass; 
Our  glowing  hopes,  our  high  resolves, 

Shadows  before  us  pass. 

The  gathering  shades  like  a  black  veil 

Shut  out  day's  lingering  gleam, 
I  bid  the  cool  moss  spring  farewell; 

I  wake  from  my  sad  dream. 
Homeward  I  wend  my  weary  way, 

Upon  my  lips  a  prayer. 
That  Heaven  may  draw  my  drooping 
heart 

To  place  its  treasures  there. 

R.  A.  Levy. 


Welefn— Tlie  visible  regions  of  the  air. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  438 


BIBLICAL  AND  HISTORICAL  MEMORIAL  TABLE. 

FROM    THE    CREATION    TO    THE    PRESENT    TIME. 

The  first  people  were  Adam  and  Eve. 

Their  sons,  Cain,  Abel  and  Seth. 

Cain  was  a  husbandman  and  Abel  a  shepherd. 

Cain  killed  his  brother  Abel. 

Tubal  was  the  first  Cithern-player. 

Tubalcain  was  the  fii'st  worker  in  metal. 

Methusalem  was  the  oldest  man,  being  969  years  old. 

Metbusalem's  son  was  Leniech,  Lemech's  son  Avas  Noah. 

IS^oah  had  tln-ee  sons  :  Sem,  Ham  and  Jaiolieth. 

Noah  built  an  Ark. 

Noah  with  his  wife,  his  three  sons  and  three  daughters-in-law 
entered  the  Ark.     Beginning  of  the  deluge. 

After  150  days  the  ark  rests  on  Mount  Ararat. 

Noah  dispatches  a  raven,  after  the  water  had  subsided,  and  after- 
ward, at  three  different  times,  three  pigeons. 

Noah  and  his  people  leave  the  Ark,  and  erect  the  Eternal  an  Altar. 

God  blessed  Noah  and  makes  a  Covenant  with  him.     The  Rainbow. 

Noah  plants  a  vineyard. 

The  people  begin  again  to  increase  upon  earth. 

Nimrod,  a  great  huntsman  and  hero,  becomes  the  founder  of  the 
land  of  Babel,  and  builds  the  town  of  Nineveh. 

The  building  of  the  tower  of  Babel  in  the  valley  of  Shinar . 

Abraham,  the  son  of  Therach,  born  in  Ur-Casdim. 

His  brothers  were  Nachor  and  Haran. 

Abraham,  at  the  command  of  God,  leaves  his  home,  and  went  with 

his  wife  Sarah  and  his  nephew,  Lot,  Haran's  son,  to  Canaan. 
Abraham  and  Lot  separate.     Abraham  remains  in  Canaan,  and  Lot 

departs  for  Sodom. 
Abraham's  hand- maid  is  called  Hagar,  their  son,  Ishmael. 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  are  destroyed  ;  Lot  is  saved. 
Isaac  is  born,  being  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Sarah.     ■ 
Isaac  is  brought  as  a  sacrifice  on  Mount  Moriah. 
Sarah  dies,  and  is  buried  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah. 
Elieser,  Abraham's  servant,  went  to  Aram  Naharajim,  in  order  to 

obtain  a  wife  for  Isaac. 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  Bethuel,  Nachor's  son,  became  Isaac's  wife. 
Her  brother  was  Laban. 


434  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Esau  and  Jacob,  Isaac's  and  Rebecca's  sons. 

Jacob  flees  to  Charan  to  his  uncle,  Laban. 

Jacob's  dream. 

Leah  and  Rachel,  Laban's  daughters. 

Jacob  meets  Rachel  at  the  well. 

Jacob  is  with  Laban.  He  takes  Leah,  Rachel,  Bilah  and  Silpah  for 
his  wives. 

Jacob's  sons  were  :  Reuben,  Simon,  Levi,  Jehudah,  Isashar,  Zebu- 
lun,  Dan,  Naj^htali,  Gad,  Asher,  Joseph,  Benjamin;  his  daugh- 
ter was  named  Dinah. 

Jacob  sends  messengers  to  Esau.     The  brothers  become  reconciled. 

Jacob  resides  again  in  Canaan. 

Joseph,  seventeen  years  old,  is  hated  by  his  brothers  on  account  of 

his  dreams. 
Joseph  seeks  for  his  brothers  in  Datan,  where  they  were  grazing' 

their  flock. 
The  brothers  threw  him  in  a  pit  and  then  sold  him  to  Ismaelitish 

merchants,  who  again  sold  him  to  Potiphar,  who  was  one  of  the 

king's  officials  in  Egypt. 

Joseph  in  Egypt.     He  serves  his  master  faithfully,  but  owing  to  the 

treachery  of  Potiphar's  wife  is  cast  into  prison. 
He  interprets  the  di-eams  of  the  Butler  and  the  Baker,  servants  of 

King  Pharaoh. 
Joseph  before  Pharaoh.  He  interprets  his  dream,  and  is  made  ruler. 

He  is  then  thirty  years  old. 
Menasheh  and  Ephraim  are  Joseph's  sons. 
In  Canaan,  where  Jacob  dweDs,  famine  prevails,  and  Jacob's  sons  go 

to  Egypt  to  buy  corn. 
Their  first  journey  to  Eg}^3t. 
The  brothers  appear  before  Joseph. 
Second  journey  to  Egypt  with  Benjamin. 
Jehudah's  faithfulness  toward  Jacob  and  Benjamin. 
Joseph  makes  himself  known  to  his  brethren. 
Jacob  and  his  family,  altogether  seventy  persons,  depart  from  Canaan 

and  travel  to   Egypt  ;  they  then  live  in   Egypt  in  the   land  of 

Goshen. 
Jacob  blessed  his  sons,  and  dies  at  the  age  of  147  years. 
His  body  is  buried  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah,  beside  Abraham  and 

Isaac. 
The  children  of  Israel  augmented  largely  in  Egypt  and  fall  into 

bondage. 
Order  of  the  king  to  destroy  aU  male  children. 
Amram  and  Jochebed,  from  the  tribe  of  Levi  ;  Aaron,  Moses  and 

Miriam,  their  children. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  435 

Moses  saved  by  the  daughter  of  the  king. 

Moses  kills  an  Egyptian  and  escajDes  to  Midian. 

Zij^ora,  daughter  of  the  priest  Jethro,  his  wife. 

God  appears  to  Moses  in  the  thorn-bush  at  Mount  Choreb. 

Moses  and  Aaron  appear  before  Pharaoh.     They  announce  to  him 

the  divine  punishment.     The  ten  plagues. 
On  the   15th  day  of  the  first  month  (Nissan)  the  Israelites  depart 

from  Egypt.     Feast  of  Passover. 
The  Israelites  pass  through  the  Ked  Sea  ;  the  Egyptians  pursue  and 

get  drowned.     Song  of  Moses. 
The  Israelites  enter  the  desert  of  Shur  ;  they  murmur,  because  of 

the  water  being  bitter. 
Tne  Israelites  arrive  at  the  deseii;  of  Sin  ;  they  murmur,  owing  to 

the  want  of  sufficient  food  ;  Manna. 
Amalek  attacks  the  Israelites  at  Kefidim. 
Joshua  defeats  him.     Moses,  Aaron  and  Chur  on  the  mount. 
Jethro  visits  his  son-in-law  in  the  desert. 
In  the  third  month  after  the  departure  from  Egypt,  the  Israelites 

reach  Mount  Sinai.  Divine  Kevelation  and  giving  of  the  Law.  The 

Ten  Commandments. 
Moses  remains  forty  days  and  forty  nights  on  the  mount. 
Moses  comes  down  from  the  mount  ;  the  golden  calf. 
Moses  breaks  the  Law-tablets.    He  prays  God  to  pardon  the  people. 

New  Law- tablets. 

The  Tabernacle  and  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant. 
Bezalel  and  Aholiab  attend  to  its  construction. 
The  Levites  attend  to  the  service  in  the  Tabernacle. 
The  Camp  is  divided  into  four  divisions. 

The  twelve  spies  are  sent  to  the  promised  land.     After  forty  days 

they  return  and  cause  the  people  to  despair. 
Joshua  and  Caleb  bring  better  news. 
The  whole  nation  must  remain  forty  years  in  the  desert,  tiU  all  the 

obstinate  ones  have  died. 

EebeUion  of  Korach,  Dathan  and  Abiram. 

Miriam  dies  at  Kadesh.     The  people  murmur  for  scarcity  of  water. 

Moses  transgresses. 
Aaron  dies  upon  the  mount,  Hor. 
Eleasar,  his  son,  succeeds  him  as  High-priest. 
The  Israelites  conquer  Sichon,  King  of  Emori,  and  Og,   King  of 

Bashan. 
Arrival  of  the  IsraeUtes  in  the  valley  of  Moab. 
Balak,  king  of  Moab,  sends  for  Bileam.     Bileam's  blessing. 
■Contest  with  the  Midianites. 


430 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READEfl 


Moses   orders,   according  to  tlie  command   of   God,   that  Joshua 

should  become  his  successor. 
The  tribes  of  Keuben  and  Gad,  and  half  the  tribe  Menasheh,  wish  to 

remain  on  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan. 

Moses  repeats  to  the  Israehtes  all  laws  and  statutes. 

He  blesses  the  people,  and  dies,  120  years  old,  on  Mount  Nebo. 

Joshua  leads  the  people  across  the  Jordan  into  the  land  of  Cang^n. 


AFTER  SANHEDRIM  39  a. 


"  Canst  thou  say  thy  God  was  honest 
To  the  man  he  made  of  clay, 

When  a  rib  from  Adam  sleeping, 
Scripture  saith  he  stole  r.way  " 

Rabbi  Gamliel  would  have  answered, 
But  his  daughter  craved  reply : 

"  Justice  !'  cried  she,  "  even  justice  I' 
Let  us  to  the  judgment  hie  ! 

Thieves  into  our  house  have  broken, 
And  a  pitcher  rare  and  old 
They  have  stolen,  yet  for  silver 
Hath  been  left  a  cruse  of  gold  !" 

"Would  that  such  a  great  misfortune 
Happened  to  me  every  day  !" 

Said  the  scorner,  but  the  mtdden, 
"  See,  the  theft  is  cleared  away  !'' 


"  Mean  I  not  the  rib  exactly, 
But  the  way  in  which  'twas  done  ; 

Why  could  not  the  man  have  seen  it — 
Gift  and  miracle  in  one?" 

Then  a  |iieoe  of  meat  the  maidea 
Washed  and  salted  in  his  sight. 

Preparing  for  a  feast  to  which 
She  the  quibbler  did  invite. 

"  Peace,"'  said  he,  "  I  never  relish 
What  before  me  is  prepared." 

Saith  the  maiden,  now  triumphant, 
''  Thus  the  ways  of  God  are  cleared !" 

"  That  which  seeing  maketh  common 
Prom  our  eyes  should  be  concealed ; 

Her  whom  Adam  most  should  honor, 
To  him  perfected,  God  revealed  !" 
Talmud. 


CHRONOLOGY. 

The  accuracy  of  chronology  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  points  in 
Biblical  history.  Already  tradition  is  in  doubt  as  to  Egyptian 
bondage,  which  lasted,  according  to  Genesis  xv  :  13,  400  years,  or  to 
Exodus  xii ;  41,  42,  430  years.  In  the  same  manner  it  says  in 
the  book  of  1  Kings  vi :  1,  that  Solomon  built  the  Temple  480  years 
after  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  in  contradiction  to  the  previous  books 
of  Holy  Writ.  According  to  the  book  of  Judges,  the  time  of  the 
Judges  alone,  without  Eli  and  Samuel,  amoimts  to  400  years,  which 
disagrees  with  other  calculations  in  regard  to  the  sojourn  in  the 
desert,  the  conquest  of  the  country,  Eli's,  Samuel's,  Saul's,  and 
David's.  Also  the  reckoning  in  respect  to  the  time  of  the  Kings  is 
unsettled.  Further  we  find  much  uncertainly  as  to  the  time  of  the 
Babylonian  captivity  to  the  period  of  the  Maccabees,  where  Alex- 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


.4a7 


ander  the  Great  serves  as  guiding  point.  AVe  have  the  most  divei-si- 
lied.  account  of  ancient  and  modern  time  before  us — tradition 
Josephus  Flavins,  Zunz,  Jost,  Philippson,  Herzfeld,  and  the 
Christian  investigators,  Eichhorn,  Duncker,  Koth,  Lepsius,  Schlos- 
ser,  but  nowhere  we  can  find  agreement.  Even  the  statements  in 
regard  to  the  exact  time  of  Moses  differ  very  much.  However,  a 
Chronological  table  to  be  a  guide  for  our  youth  need  not  enlarge 
upon  all  these  critical  points,  and  it  is  only  necessary  that  some 
fixed  plan  should  be  adopted. 

ADAM  AND  EVE 


Cain, 
Jabal, 
Jubal, 
Tubal-Cain, 


Abel 


Seth, 

Enoch, 

Methusalem, 

Lemech, 

Chanoch, 

Noah  (deluge)  1650  A. 


Shem,     Cham,     Japheth. 
Eber, 

Peleg  (Mildiiig  tower  of  BaMJliroi), 
Tirach. 


1948...   Abraham,  Sarah,  Hagar,  Haran,        Nachor (Milka) 


2048, 


Isaac  (Ret)ecKall),Ismael,  Lot,  Milka,  Bethuel. 


Ammon,  Moab.  Rebeckah,  Laban 


2108. .Esau,  Jacob  (Leah,  Eachel,      Bilha,      Silpa),         Leah,  Rachel, 

Ruben,  Joseph*,    G-ad,         Dan, 

Simon,  Benjamin,  Asher,  Naphtali. 

Levi, 

Judah, 

Isashar, 

Zebulon, 
Dina. 

*Whose  sons  were  Epbraini  aud  Menasseh. 


438 


SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

EGYPTIAN  BONDAGE. 

Amram  and  Jochebed,  from  the  tribe  of  Levi. 


2588 Moses  (Ziporah),  Aaron,  Miriam, 

Gerson,  Nadab, 

Elieser,  Abihuh, 

Elasar, 

Ithamar. 

Deliverance  from  Egyptain  bondage  (about  2668  A.  M.) 

Crossing  the  Red  Sea. 

Marah. 

Elim. 

Sin  (Manna,  law  for  the  Sabbath). 

Eephidim  (Avant  of  water,  invasion  Amalek's,  Jethro's  visit). 

Sinai  (Revelation). 

Golden  Calf. 

Building  of  the  Tabernacle  (Bezalel  andOholiab). 

Wandering  in  the  desert. 

Graves  of  lust  (70  elders,  Eldad  and  Medad). 

Spies. 

Korah. 

Death  of  Miriam.  .  _  -  _  2708. 

Water  of  Meribah. 

Death  of  Aaron.     Elasar  becomes  High-priest.  -     2708. 

L'onquest  on  this  side  of  the  Jordan  (Sichon  and  Og). 

Belak  and  Bileam. 

Combat  with  the  Midianites. 

Joshua  appointed  Moses'  successor. 

Moses  dies,  120  years   old.  -  -  -  2709. 

Joshua  leader  of  the  people. 

Conquest  of  the  country  (Jericho,  Ai,  the  Gibeonites,  the  Southern 
and  the  Northern  Union. 

Judges  (happening  between  the  twenty-fifth  and  the  twenty-eighth 
centuries  a.  m.): 

Othniel,         Ehud,         Deborah,  Barak,  Gideon,        Abimelech, 

Yephta,           Ruth,          Sampson,  Eli,               Samuel. 

Kingdom  (about  thirty  centuries  a.  m.): 

Saul,                                 David,  (2948  a.  m.},  Solomon. 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES. 


439 


PARTITION  OP  THE  REALM- 3010  a.  m. 

Kingdom  of  Israel  (clur.  258  yrs.).  Kingdom  of  Judah  (dur.  391  \  rs.) 


Jeroboam  (gov.  22  yrs. 

Nadab  (2  yrs.), 

Baaslia  (24  yrs.), 

Ela  (2  yrs.), 

Simri  (7  days), 

Omri  (12  yrs.), 

Achab  (22  yrs.).  Prophet  Elijah. 

Achasja  (2  yrs.), 

Jehoram  (12  yrs.), 

Jehu  (28  yrs.),  Prophet  Elisha. 

Joachas  (17  yrs.), 

Joas  (16  yrs.), 

Jeroboam  II.  (41  yrs.).  Prophet 

Sechai-ja  (6  months),       [Jonah. 

ShaUum  (1  month), 

Menachen  (10  yrs.), 

Pekachja  (2  jrs.), 

Pekach  (20  yrs.), 

Hosea  (destruction  of  the  king- 
dom of  Israel  through  Shal- 
manasser,  3268  a.  m. 


Rechaboam  (gov.  17  jrs.), 
Abia  (3  yrs.), 
Assa  (41  yrs.), 


Joshaphat  (25  yrs.), 

Jehoram  (8  j'rs.), 
Achasja  (1  yr.), 
Athalia  (6  yrs. ), 
Joas  (40  yrs.), 
Amazia  (29  yrs.), 
Usia-Asaria  (52  yrs.). 


Jotham  (16  yrs.), 

Achas  (16  yrs.), 

Hiskia  (29  yrs)  Prophet  Isaiah. 
Sancherib's  invasion,    ' 

Menasse  (55  j^rs.), 

Amon  (2  yrs.), 

Joshea  (31  yrs.), 

Jehoachas   (3   months),  Prophet 

Jehojakira  (ll  yrs.),      [Jeremiah. 

Jehojachin  (3  months), 

Zidkia  (11  yrs.),  destruction  of 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  through 
Nebuchadnezzar,  3402  a.  m. 


Daniel,   Chananja,    Mishael    and 
>i.).      Judah   under   Persian- 


Babylonian  captivity  (Ezekiel, 
Asaria). 

Cyrus  conquers   Babylon  (3450  a. 
Median  rule. 

Return  to  Palestine   under  Zerubabel's  and  Jeshua's  leadership 
(3452  A.  M.)     Prophets  Chagai  and  Zachariah. 

Rebuilding  of  the  Temple  (3472  a.  m.). 
Esther  (Purini). 

Esra  and  Nehemiah   (3530-3544).     Rebuilding  Jerusalem  ;    the 
Prophet  Malachai. 

Judeah  under  rule  of  Alexander  the  Great  (3656  a,  m.) 


440  SCHOOL  AND  FAMILY  READER 

Jiideah  partly  under  the  dominion  of  the  Egyptians  (Ptolomies), 
and  partly  under  the  Syrians  (Seleucides),  3658-3785. 

Antiochus  Epiphanes  (war  of  liberation,  the  Maccabees,  inde- 
pendence of  the  kingdom,  3821-3845.) 


GENEALOGY  OF  THE  MACCABEES. 

Mathathias 
I 


Jochanan,    Simon,   Judah,  Elasar,   Jonathan*. 


Judah,  Mathathias,  Johann   Hyrkan). 


Aristobul,  Antigonus,  Alexander  (Jannseus),  Absalom? 


Hyrkan,  Aristobul. 


Alexander,  Antigonus. 


Aristobul,  Mariamne. 

Judea,  under  Roman  rule  (63  b.  Ch.  E.). 

Herod,  King  of  the  Jews  (37  b.  Ch.  E.^  3951  A.  M. 

Roman  Governors  in  Judea,  the  last  Gessius  Florus  (64  a.  Ch.  E. ) 

Vespasian  invests  Jerusalem  (67  a.  (>li.  E. ). 

Titus  conquers  and  destroys  the  Holy  City  (70  a.  Ch.  E.) 


THE  JEWS  IN  THEIR  DISPERSION. 

Tanaim,  R.  Judah  the  Holy,  compiler  of  the  Mishna  (164-219). 
Persecutions  under  Hadrian  (132-134). 

Amoraim,  closing  of  the  Babylonian  Talmud  by  R.  Ashi  and  R. 
Abina,  500,  and  of  the  Palestinian,  390. 
Abolishing  the  .Patriarchate  under  Theodosius  II. 
Origin  of  the  Caraites. 
Gaonat  in  Babylon  till  1040. 
Origin  of  the  Chasareens  (Kusarim)  King  Balan. 


*0i  Jonathau's  descendants  only  one  daughter  is  known,  who  was  the  ancestral  mother 
o:  the  iietoriaD,  Josephiis  Flavius, 


FOR  THE  USE  OF  ISRAELITES.  44\ 

MIDDLE  AGE  PEEIOD. 

Jews  ill  Spain.  Samuel  Halevi,  Rabbi  and  IVlinister  of  State  (102T- 
1065).  Solomon  Ibn  Galnrol,  died  1070.  Judah  Halevi,  born  1085. 
Moses  Il)n  Esra,  died  1 1 38.  Abraham  Ibn  Esra,  1093-11 68.  Moses 
Maimonides,  1135-1204. 

Disputations. 

Cabbala,  Moses  de  Leon,  Sobar. 

Isaac  Abrabanel,  Minister  of  Finance  to  Ferdinand  the  Catholie. 

Expulsion  of  the  Jews  from  Spain,  1492;  from  Portugal,  1496. 

Jews  in  France. — Moses  Hadarshan,  tershon  ben  Jehudah, 
Rashi,  family  of  Tibbon,  family  of  Kimchi,  Levi  b.  Gerson. 

The  Crusades. 

The  black  death. 

Jews  in  Italy. — MeshuUam  b.  Kalonimos,  Nathan  b.  Jechiel, 
Immanuel  of  Rome. 

Jews  in  Austria.— Hungary. 

Expulsion  from  Steiermark  and  Salzburg  ;  Isaac  Or  Sarua,  Meier 
Halevi  ;  Israel  Isserlein. 


MODERN  PERIOD. 

Jews  in  Turkey  and  Palestine. — Joseph  Karo,  Don  Joseph  Nassi, 
Sabbatai  Zebi. 

Jews  in  Italy. — Elia  Levita,  Asaria  de  Rossi. 

Jews  in  HoUaiid.— Manasse  b.  Israel,  Uriel  Acosta,  Baruch  Spinoza. 
Jews  in  Poland.— Solomon  Loria,  Moses  Isserls. 
Jews  in  Germany. — Persecutions  in  Brandenburg,  Baden,  Braun- 
schweig,   Frankfurt,  Worms.     Christian  Savants,  Johannes  Reuch- 
lein,  Sebastian  Munster,  Johann  Buxtorf. 

Jews    in   Austria. — Explusion   from   Karnten,  Crim,   Tyrol    and 
Upper  Austria. 

ExiDulsion  from  Lower  Austria,  1670. 
Return  to  Vienna,  1675. 
Expulsion  from  Bohemia,  1744. 
Ueturn  to  Prag,  1748. 


LATTER  PERIOD. 

Moses  Mendelssohn  reforms  by  Joseph  II.  Emancipation  of  the 
Jews  in  France  and  Holland.  Amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
Jews  in  almost  all  the  European  States.  Entire  Emancipation  of 
the  Jews. 

Reform  movement,  progress  of  Jewish  Scholastic  institutions, 
advancement  of  Jewish  science. 


ERRATA. 


PAGE 

.   LINE. 

7 

5  f.  b. 

15 

21  f.  t. 

32 

19  f.  b. 

46 

4  f.  b. 

611 

ast  f.  b. 

•62 

8  f.  b. 

71 

8  t.   b. 

80 

19  f.  t. 

98 

7  f.  b. 

99 

11  f.  t. 

99 

16  f.  t. 

99 

9  f.  b. 

111 

10  f.  t. 

114 

6  f.  t. 

111 

12  f.  b. 

114 

17  i.  t. 

125 

11  f.  t. 

164 

12  f.  b. 

184 

11  f.  t. 

185 

6  f.  b. 

191 

11  f.  b. 

191 

17  f.  t. 

192 

10  f.  t. 

193 

7  f.  t. 

196 

1  f.  t. 

197 

14  f.  b. 

199 

3  f.  t. 

199 

19  t.   b. 

200 

7  f.  b. 

for  of  tmge  walls,  read  with  huge 
walls. 

for  inquity,  read  iniquity, 
for    divinesource,     read     divine 
source. 

for  turning,  read  burning, 
for  hings,  read  things, 
for  heardloud  read  heard  loud, 
for  ssues,  read  issues. 
for  five  books  of  Moses,  read  fifth 

book  of  Moses. 
for  the  could,  read  she  could, 
for  Jojakins,  read  Jojachius. 
for  amonsst,  read  among, 
for   whilst    to-morrow,     already, 

read  whilst  to-morrow  already, 
for  e'en,  read  even, 
for  Tetrigzammatan,  read  Tetra- 

grammaton. 
for  and  and,  read  and. 
for  banners,  read  banner, 
for  promiseall,  read  promise  all. 
for  mo  unt.  read  mount, 
for  conquests,  read  conquest, 
for  even   was    the   temple,   read 

even  the  temple  was. 
for  pillowed,  read  pillared, 
for  monatsch    rift,  read  monat- 

schrift. 
for  socage,  read  soccage. 
for  become,  read  became, 
for  Joshur,  read  Joshua, 
for  Gamsule   toba,   read   Gamsu 

le  toba. 
for  confined,  read  cofiined. 
for  fromthe.  read  from  the. 
for    R.   Akiba  formally,   read  R. 
Akiba  formerly. 


PAGE.      LINE. 

208      7  f.  b.  for  a.  read  and. 
223     16  f.   t.  for  supposed,  read  surpassed 
225    15  f.   t.  for  author,  read  Rochesteriensis. 
228      4  f.  b.  for  EgyptianbuUs,  read  Egyptian 

buUs. 
237    11  f.  b.  for  1841,  read  1441, 
237     11  f.  b.  for  loao,  read  Joao. 
250      5  f.    t.  for  of  his  being  inclined,  read  of 

being  incUned. 
252      5  f.  b.  for    sooner    or    later    left,    read 

sooner  or  later,  left. 
259    13  f.   t.  for  to  the  very  noble  learned  and, 

read    to  the    very  noble  and 

learned. 
263    19  f.  b.  for  Shagath  Arjectri  Nohem,  read 

Shagath  Arje  Ari  Noham. 
294     14  f.  b.   for  no  timaginary,  read   not  im- 
aginary. 

298  12  f.   t.  for  Decides,  read  Deicides. 

299  2  f.  b.  for  Zobaoth,  read  Zabaoth. 

311    20  f.   t.  for  the  nmust,  read   then  must. 

330    11  f.   t .  for  Isralites,  read  Israelites. 

347    last  line  for    nameim parts,  read    name 

imparts. 
355    10  f.  b.  for  Messiah  came,  read   Messiah 

come. 
363       7  f.  b    for  Tiberius,  read  Tiberias. 
380      2  f.  t.  for  a  hand  bu.siness,  read  a  hard 

business. 
402    10  f.  b.  for  nationailitv.  read  nationality. 
412      2"  f.   t.  for  A.  Zellinek,  read  Jellinek. 
418    22  f.  b.  for  Lebanan,  read  Lebanon. 

418  1^  f.  b.  for  naturally  came,read  naturally 

come. 

419  '2  f.  Vj.  for  Sadducees,  read  Pharisees. 

420  1  f.   t.  for  Pharisees,  read  Sadducees. 


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